To Love Thy Sister
by Doragoon
Summary: Jr. changes the fates in time, just for the sake of his sister who has become more to him than just a sibling. This action sets a plan in motion that very well could forever change the the balance in the supernatural world and certainly lead to the end of the universe.
1. Sister Of Mine

_Rated T_

_Hey guys, decided to do a little short story that'll into drabbles of my own. From Grim Tales From Down Below, let me get a YEA YEA for those who can't wait for Afterbirth. Pretty cool webcomic from Snafu comics, check it out, but for those who are a fan (of either my work or Bleedman's), let's get on with the show._

_Disclaimer: Bleedman owns all rights to GTFDB._

* * *

_Junior gaped in horror as Minnie was torn. Her ligaments stripped from her body as if she were some detachable toy. Had he any type of gag reflex, or stomach for that matter, he would throw up from the brutality and horror. And the pain in her eyes. She looked in so much pain._

"Why?"

"Crazy, right? How can someone as gentle as her be given a fate like this? Can you see how much she needed you and you were such a coward at this moment? She did everything she could to make you happy, keep you safe…funny how useless you really could be."

"But I just…I didn't have powers! She should have kept herself safe. All she did was show-"

"Yes, she was a show off. Yet you were still her admired older brother, the brother she followed like a puppy, who she only wanted affection from. LOOK AT HER YOU BASTARD!"

"GAHCK!"

_Minnie coughed, her half body resting on the ground. Junior wondered what to do as Zero distracted the Pumpkinator. Then everything went black except for Minnie and him._

_Junior looked upon his sister in anguish, wishing he could take his sister's pain and exchange for the peace she wanted. Her hand looked as if it were reaching for her eye, but turned course and reached for his face._

"_Mine brother, why didst thou leave me in acrid agony?"_

"_Minnie, I…"_

"_You envied me and now I lay in ruins."_

_Junior sobbed. Her face grew more sadistic._

"_For what wretch would let thy own sister be tortured? Mine love for you was great, some viewing it as unclean. But it felt of complete purity and was the only reason the insults from thy tongue went beyond."_

"_Minnie, I'm sorry. I know my jealousy was wrong, I know how much you love me. I am the same, but I let the envy cloud it all. Please, try to find it in your loving heart to forgive me."_

"_Would thou wish to know of the most raw pain blown to me that day? The breaking of mine heart in knowing that mine brother hated me to the most distasteful degree. Now all I can ask is…why?"_

_Junior let the tears leak from his eyes. He felt the clenching in his chest and knew the very pain of a broken heart…_

Junior awoke in a sweat in his bed, and due to position, fell. He rubbed his skull in annoyance. He sat up and breathed, something that he had to do most nights since his little sister's death and rebirth. The nightmares were more and more hateful towards him.

He knew he blamed himself and if there wasn't more truth than that. To say that he regretted that day the most was an understatement.

He had been able to learn the rules and games of death when he grew his scythe in his sleep. His body muttered death's oath as his conscience slept, but in the morning, he had to take notice of the large weapon of what he had thought had been a gift or the start of training.

But when he had brought it to his father, Grim told him that Junior's magic did this, not him. He could feel it in the scythe itself.

His father told him maybe the reason he finally got his powers was because of the balance of pain. A reaper can either be born with the scythe, take a predecessor's, or be dealt a great deal of pain, physical or emotional. Junior knew which this came from.

Junior waved his hand and walked into the portal, to his sister's room. She was asleep under her comforter, purring softly in her dreams.

"_She used to have nightmares."_

Junior waved his hand over her face and she sighed softly at the power. Her unmarred face was perfect in his eyes. Once, he had wanted to watch it sob; now he only wanted complete and utter happiness to cross it.

Once he learned the Body Reformation spell, a spell that clocked back the body before it was ever hurt, it was the first mid level Reaper technique he used. He actually wasn't a Reaper at all, his father hadn't even thought of teaching him yet. He only knew spells and tricks from his own study.

Everything that had happened never was. Instead of walking to the cemetery, he walked back into the forest, not getting captured. Minnie contently met Zero before he did and when she had gotten captured, immediately broke free. She growled her green, Nergal eyes into the frightened ones of the tricksters and told them to leave her before she cut them all new mouths to scream from.

She found Junior leaning against the tree they had come from and once he cooled off, he and Minnie made their way back to the party. Well, that's how everyone else remembered.

Only he and, as master of time, Clockwork knew of all the despair and pain that night. He still had the eye, but hid it within his skull instead of his socket, controlling the Nergal powers to the recesses of his head. But he knew that sooner or later he would have to tell them. The spell only lasted for as long as he kept realigning his powers within her body.

Minnie shifted in her bed, knocking into him slightly which caused him to back up. Right into her bookcase.

A large book slammed onto the ground, the sound loud in her room. Minnie awoke quickly, her nightgown riding high on her hips.

"Brother? Why art thou here?"

"Sorry, Minnie, I couldn't sleep."

"Dream of darkness?"

"Nightmare? Kinda…"

Minnie patted her bed and scooted from the middle, a lot of space in her Victorian bed. Junior sat, but didn't climb in as he used to. When they were little, he would make his way to his sister's bed, mistaking her blond hair for his mother's. Either way, the morning after was to say the least, extremely awkward. But he continued to do so until his 10th birthday. That's when envy started to take hold of him.

"Mine brother, what conundrum doth thou try to solve."

"It's nothing; just…I'm sorry Minnie."

MiniMandy was confused as her brother shook his head.

"I'm so sorry. I caused you so much pain over something as petty as jealousy."

Minnie lidded her eyes.

"You loved me, well, love me and all I used to do was turn my back on you. But I will make sure you are never alone again, that you will never be in pain any longer. Can you please find it in yourself to forgive me?"

"Mine brother, non the matter of which the cause, I will forgive thee eternally. But thou must forgive thyself or thou will fall to ruin."

Minnie slid her hand up to his face, his tears running into her soft and supple skin.

"I know not what pains thee so, but thou must find it within thyself to covet the strength to let go."

Junior smiled into his sister's grey storms. He kissed her nose.

"Thanks, lil' sis. G'night."

Minnie blushed a little.

"Sweeter dreams than those past, mine loving brother."

Junior got up and was just about to make another portal when he looked back to Minnie's form.

"_Just for tonight."_

Junior thought to himself as he slipped into his adoring sister's bed.

**R&R peoples**

**Till next time, Doragoon/Animaster**


	2. Mine Lover Pt 1

_Rated T_

_Disclaimer: Bleedman owns all rights to GTFDB._

* * *

On the South Pole, there is a forest. Not many make their way down there to see, reason being obvious, but some have been brave enough to trek their way into the heart of the arctic winds, searching for a myth. You can feel yourself growing colder and more numb. Right before death, there is a forest. Of no wind, of no snow, just…quiet. But that isn't what catches you. No, what caught you are the seven oaks standing tall, each with a different symbol.

You begin to recognize them as the seven notable holidays: Fourth of July, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, all right before you hit the door to Halloween.

You want to go in one, but you have no idea which to pick. So it chooses for you and Halloween opens itself and you walk in. The music starts as you make your way down the road.

And at the entrance are two scarecrows, one smaller than the other, but both beckoning you toward the place the sign points to.

Halloween Town.

_Boys and girls of every age_

_Wouldn't you like to see something strange?_

_Come with us and you will see_

_This, our town of Halloween_

_The wind pass through the cemetery and shadows sing with the orchestra._

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

_Pumpkins scream in the dead of night_

_This is Halloween, everybody make a scene _

_Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright_

_It's our town, everybody scream_

_In this town of Halloween_

_Wisps began circling before growing into specters, their mouths switching back and forth from sharp to round. Their destination, the broken window of a chilling house._

_I am the one hiding under your bed_

_Teeth ground sharp and eye glowing red_

_I am the one hiding under your stairs_

_Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair_

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

_Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween_

_The entire house was a complete haunt. First was a disembodied voice of high pitch, then the second was instead an entire body of monster. The living room was the icing on the cake, filled with vampires in each and every nook and cranny that was available._

_In this town we call home_

_Everyone hail to the pumpkin song_

_In this town, don't we love it now?_

_Everybody's waiting for the next surprise_

_Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can_

_Something's waiting now to pounce and how you'll scream_

_This is Halloween red 'n' black, slimy green_

_Aren't you scared? Well, that's just fine_

_Say it once, say it twice_

_Take a chance and roll the dice_

_Ride with the moon in the dead of night_

_Everybody scream, everybody scream_

_In our town of Halloween_

_The mayor yelled in his jolly voice, almost friendly…right until he twisted his body, his head stationary. The amounts of monsters popping out were amazing in number. A monster of wiggling hair and fur, werewolf, and a man of melting goo were hiding in the streets._

_Witches flying on broomsticks, singing the song along with the other ghouls, right out of the waterless well. A giant stalking tree begins where they leave off, skeletons hanging and swaying off his branches._

_I am the clown with the tear away face _

_Here in a flash and gone without a trace_

_I am the who when you call, who's there?_

_I am the wind blowing through your hair_

_I am the shadow on the moon at night_

_Filling your dreams to the brim with fright._

_From a dark alley comes an obese, shady clown on a unicycle, his voice high. He tears his face, changing to a dark baritone. Wind blows around a tower, a beautiful woman combing a small blond girl's hair._

_It isn't until they turn to you do you realize the woman is stitched together and the girl's eyes are cat-like and a sharp tail sticks from her blouse. The wind blows into the moon where a baggy shadow twists and turns in rhythm to a jazzy voice right up to breaking away in bats._

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

_Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween_

_Halloween, Halloween_

_The monsters are abundant. It is realized, these are the denizens of Halloween town._

_Tender lumplings everywhere_

_Life's no fun without a good scare_

_That's our job, but we're not mean_

_In our town of Halloween_

_Two children, a bat boy and boy with his eyes stitched shut and body sagging in his deathly state sing, then out comes a husband and wife, the husband a tall stick of a man and the wife giant in her girth._

_In this town, don't we love it now?_

_Everybody's waiting for the next surprise_

_Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back_

_And scream like a banshee_

_Make you jump out of your skin_

_This is Halloween, everybody scream_

_Won't please make way for two very special guys?_

_The two scarecrows are pulled by a man with an axe chopped in his head, both sitting atop a straw horse. The denizens seem to bow to these figures. But when they start holding up torches, the figures suddenly grab torches. Behind the stalking tree of skeletons hides the blond girl and stitched woman._

_Our man Jack is King of the Pumpkin patch_

_Prince Jr. of the Underworld now_

_Both figures eat the flames as if candy, before swinging round and blowing it into the faces of the monsters, who gasp in surprise._

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

_Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween_

_The taller figure swings the smaller figure into the air, flipping and twirling. Just as he comes down, he grabs the taller figure, who is still dancing, with him into the filled well, of acid._

_In this town we call home_

_Everyone hail to the pumpkin song_

_The grotesque dead boy and a boy mummy sing the last bits of chorus, queuing both Jack and Jr. to rise from the steam._

_La, la, la, la, la_

_La, la, la, la, la_

_La, la, la, la, la_

_La, la, la, la, whoooo_

_Jack rises in his conductors suit, Jr. matching and in tow, as the costumes of scarecrow dissolves off. Jack has his hands crossed in front of him, whilst Jr. has his as if he were strumming a guitar. Jack raises his hands out to the singing crowd and Jr.'s scythe materializes in his hands. They grab to the top of the fountain, Jack beckoning his hands out, Jr.s swinging his scythe slowly as if he were reaping souls, but just stopping just enough before he accidently messes up the performance and hits his uncle._

_The citizens are clapping wildly, Minnie and Sally in adoration of the two Skeletons of Royalty. The fear begins to shave off and the heart calms. You believe that they were only trying to scare you and yet, you feel a bit different. You look down and you realize you have become a ghoul yourself._

_You are now a part of Halloween town. And you can never go back._

_TLTS_

Jr. stepped down from the fountain, his bones still tingling a little from the acid. Jack was right behind him, trying to get through to his kin through the adoring crowd.

Jr. almost jumped when his name was called. All the monsters were at his face now, showering him with compliments and handshakes.

"Well well, Jr., you are a very talented boy."

Jr. was finally able to get to his uncle.

"You really think so, Uncle Jack?"

"Well, shooorrre. You made an excellent kid scarecrow, but the moment that all came off, you are Jr., the Prince of the Underworld, ready to reap all souls, woooo!"

Jr. chuckled at his uncle's eccentric behavior.

The girls came up.

"Brother, thou art a sight of horror. Such a performance between thy uncle and thee was most fierce."

Jr. rubbed his head, blushing a little.

"Nah, it was nothing."

"Well, I wouldn't say so. You and Jack make a great team. Maybe you can help lead the ghouls on Frightfest this year."

Jack wrapped his hand around Sally as she came up beside Minnie. Jr. scratched his head.

"What's Frightfest?"

"On the same night of Halloween, a selected group of ghouls go to the human world to scare. Only the most frightening handful can go, those being the ones who cast their candidacy for voting. The five with the highest votes come with me. That's why everyone tries to do their best to scare the pants of everybody else."

"Sounds fun. And no one finds out that we're really monsters and ghouls?"

"Not one, though we have had close calls."

"Cool!"

Grim and Mandy walked out of the mansion Jack lived in.

"Once again, great performance, Jack."

"Thanks Grim. It is always a pleasure to see Underworlds deadliest on such a night. We were just talking about letting young Jr. here come with us to Frightfest."

Mandy slightly raised her glaring eyes.

"What's that?"

"Creatures of the night scare humans."

Mandy had her interests piqued.

"When would this happen?"

Jr. raised his eyes to his mother. She could be very scary if she wanted to. He kept his room clean to attest to that factor. He was assured she would want to participate in the festivities. She was one of the most feared humans in both the Underworld and Earth.

Jack was approached by the mayor.

"Jack, it seems there is an addition to our town. He came while we sang."

"Well, what is he?"

Jack left with the mayor, leaving Jr. and the others to attend to the newcomer.

"So, brother mine, wouldst thou attend our dear uncle's invitation?"

"I don't really know?"

Jr. and Minnie stepped away from the crowd, their parents' not really taking notice of the kids' disappearance.

"Brother?"

"Yeah, Minnie?"

"Thou spoketh of a bout of envious emotion."

"I...I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand."

"Mine brother of half blood can surely tell me anything that troubles him so, yes?"

Jr. wanted her to know. He wanted to tell her because he was sure he could tell her in confidence, but he was afraid of her reaction. He was scared…she would begin to resent him.

She looked at him expectedly, awaiting his answer. One she wasn't getting.

"I'm sorry, Minnie, but you, especially, can't know. I'm sorry."

He drew a portal, his advanced level of reaping allowing him to go through without having to use his scythe. He veiled into the green swirl, the shocked and pained face on his half sister, assured his heart in his soul was breaking.


	3. Mine Lover Pt 2

_Rated T_

_Disclaimer: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

Jr. walked through the cemetery. He dragged his feet while his head hung low. He was too afraid to tell Minnie. He wasn't even able to look her in the face till the moment he left.

She would find him soon. Her Nergal powers were what made her deadly, yet lithe. She would be able to sniff him out. Nergal powers heightened all sense to the point where the user thought they were animalistic. But her sixth sense was the ability to sense supernatural powers.

She would feel for his reaping powers and locate him instantly with flight.

He sighed. He should tell the truth. Soon, the Body Reformation spell would become permanent. She would forever have her body back. Which was a good thing, but…he would have to give up a very essential amount of his power to fully block her to the spell. He would have to gain that amount of reaping level almost twice as much. Not only that, but his father would question what exactly did he use to lose all that power.

He actually realized how mad his dad could really get, especially now that he had his own show. He always watched 1000 Ways to Die and the way some people died wasn't all that nice. His dad drew gruesome designs for these people's death. Some took time, others, instantly, but all ended in the same place, the Underworld.

He looked at the tombstones and figured after he lost the amount of his powers, his father was going to stuff him in one of these holes.

"Why couldn't I have just gotten over the fact Minnie was better than me?"

Jr. had sat on a stone, swinging his feet back and forth. A bark brought him out of his stupor. The little sheet dog didn't recognize Jr., but was friendly anyway. Jr., on the other hand, knew exactly what the dog's name was.

"Zero! How ya doin, buddy?"

Zero looked up in question, but immediately shook it off in lieu of making a new friend. He barked happily at the bone boy.

"Wanna play a game?"

Zero flew around Jr.

"Heh heh, alright. Sit boy!"

Zero settled on the ground while Jr. reached into his hoodie. He popped off a bone from his spine.

"Alright, boy, fetch!"

Zero took off in chase of Jr.'s bone. Now, Jr. had a pretty good memory, but there were times he forgot things. Like how right after he threw his bone, he got captured.

"Heh, heh, hehehehe!"

"Ahh! Get me outta this bag! I swear, all of you are gonna regret doing this to me!"

"It's a good thing there were two of them. Mr. Oogie Boogie got mad at us from last time when we lost that freaky girl."

Zero shivered in fear and worry as Lock, Shock, and Barrel carted Jr. away. He had to get help and quick.

_TLTS_

Minnie walked to the gate for the cemetery and slipped in. She had been here before, last year, when she had gotten captured. She got out quicker than her kidnappers expected and threatened killing them all should they try something like that again.

"I do so hope for mine brother's safe return."

She really didn't know where he went, but thought he would come back sooner or later. Until then she might as well have fun in her flight.

_TLTS_

Jr. hadn't been able to get out of the sack as he thought he could. His head wasn't attached to his body so he wasn't exactly fully capable to activate either his Reaper or Nergal powers. He had to be fully together to gather his powers. Even if his head was on his body, he would still need that rib he threw for Zero.

When they finally reached the hideout, he was dumped out of the bag. They were surprised to find him a little…dissembled. Once he was able to pull himself together, they got friendly. But he knew what was to happen. They gave him cookies, told him he could join their little "club". He knew not to buy, but allowed what was to happen to happen. He needed Minnie there so he could fully assemble and make sure Oogie Boogie didn't kill his sister like last time.

He told them the story of how his parents met, who he was, his really cool uncle, another Jr. When they came to his sister, though, he was different from last time.

"Is that your sister?"

"Yeah, that's Minnie alright. Ya know, she's pretty cute in that one."

His sister was in her little baby outfit, sucking on a binky. Shock deducted Jr.'s feelings for his little sister.

"You guys seem close."

"We weren't always like that. I was really jealous of her at first, but after a couple of things that happened, I'd like to say we're inseparable."

Barrel asked his question.

"Why does she talk that way?"

"Oh, it's mostly because she spends her time with Ms. Helga."

"Who?"

"Oh, so you haven't heard of Helga Pataki. This is Halloween town, right? Helga Pataki is the scariest and meanest teacher in the Underworld. She's our private tutor. She's extremely strict and any type of misstep involves a complete rant and riot act. Minnie has always been able to keep in line, never getting any answers wrong. Me, on the other hand…well, let's just say it's a good thing I don't have ears."

"She's that bad?"

"Even with that, with her teaching, Minnie has been able to grow into a talented performer and ballet dancer."

"Wait, ballet? You mean that ballerina from the musical Lenore?"

"You mean she's a performer?"

"A dancer?"

"An actress?"

"She's good at about anything. I can break dance, but that's about it. I am, however, in her next performance.

The only suckish thing is that Uncle Nergal spends more time with her than me. He'll play a couple of games with me, but the moment Minnie ask if he could have tea with her, he hops up, throws the bunny suit on, and sits with her. It's disconcerting how he would drop everything to be with her."

"So you're jealous of her relationship she has with him?"

"I just wish he would at least spend more time with me, since Mom and Dad are gone most of the day."

"You shouldn't keep these feelings bottled up or you're gonna explode. Ask him, or do something all three of you can do."

"Besides, let's forget bout all that. Tell us about your Reaper powers. Don't you have those?"

Jr. had been so into talking with them, he forgot about the part where Oogie decides to use his head as piñata practice. Jr. was going to tell them he did, but thought against it, making sure they didn't know fully of his powers.

"My Dad said I would get those sooner or later, just not now."

Lock looked annoyed. He yelled in Jr.'s face.

"What! Are you serious? So you're telling me you aren't this cool Grim Reaper?"

"Not yet, but can I still be part of th-!"

Jr. went lights out, dropping to the floor in a heap.

_TLTS_

Minnie flew around in the cemetery, flying with the bats. She laughed happily, loving the feeling of the wind through her hair.

When she caught the sight of Zero holding her dear brother's bone in his mouth, however, she quickly landed down to him.

"By Father's Scythe, this is my brother's bone."

She had Zero lead her to where Jr. was being kept, hoping to get there in time.

_TLTS_

Jr. was enraged. They really didn't know who they were dealing with.

"You are going to let me go! You have no idea who you're dealing with! I'm gonna kick your butt!"

Lock snorted.

"Don't listen to him, Mr. Oogie. He's a liar, he has no Reaper powers. He's just some dumb little bag of bones."

"Crap. I was hoping you wouldn't tell him that. What is that you want from me?"

Oogie told him of his little plan to use him to figure out how to get Reaper powers, while the Trick-or-Treaters were getting ready to cut the rest of his body up, Shock being the lucky one in holding his head. Oogie was holding his head up by now when Minnie arrived and shot an arrow through Oogie's hand sack.

"Lay not a hand upon mine brother or thou shall pay the price most dear!"

Minnie let her reaper powers engulf her body and parried against the King of Hearts' blades. She opened her leg knives and cut the cards off, deactivating their use. The skeleton cowboy slots opened up their guns while she was a bit distracted.

She was able to dodge almost all of them except on that skimmed her arm. She let her tail and claws grow and ran around the gunshots. She shot up into the air, switched to beast feet, and dove into the wires of the slots, creating an explosion and knocking the kidnappers off their feet.

She walked up to the frightened kidnappers, glaring pointedly at the Trick-or-Treaters, then to Oogie. Jr., however, was reveling in the feel of his sister's tail caressing him, making him sigh delightfully.

Oogie groveled at her feet, begging for her mercy. She barked at him, telling him should he ever take her brother again, he should really just wrap himself up in a nice little bow and await his punishment from her hands.

She made her way back to his body and reset his head and handed him back his rib.

"Minnie, am I glad to see you."

"Really, brother?"

"And that was, like the coolest thing I've seen."

Minnie shined, but then frowned again.

"Wouldst thou tell me of what bothers thee if mine performance was so great?"

Jr. frowned.

"I told you Minnie…I can't tell you. You won't understand it."

He let go of his sister's hand and got up. Minnie was looking dejected.

The distraction was all Oogie needed and pressed the button to the Pumpkinator.

It grabbed Minnie instantly. She screamed as she was caught in the clutches of the giant destroyer.

But Jr. was ready.

* * *

**Yay! My first cliffy!**


	4. Mine Lover Pt 3

_Rated T_

_Disclaimer: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

The moment the Pumpkinator took hold of her tentacles, both robotic hands came off in an instant. Minnie fell, only to be caught, her consciousness a little faint.

"Minnie, wake up."

"B-brother?"

Jr. held her body to his tenderly.

"You're okay now. I'm here."

His Nergal wings flapped in the air. His Nergal powers grew into his hoodie and sweatpants. She could barely see his face, but his eyes were full of love.

He set her down. But the moment she was safe, she saw his eyes turn to hate. For her attacker.

He flew up to the Pumpkinator. The battle with the bot was quick.

Jr. cut straight threw, making sure he got the central circuits. The explosion Minnie had was like little sparklers compared to Jr.'s movie worthy destruction.

He landed in front of Oogie.

"You disgusting piece of shit!"

Minnie was appalled.

"Brother!"

"I'm serious, sis. You dared try and kill my princess…and think you would get away with it?"

Oogie, once again, tried to beg for mercy, but he would have none of it.

"When I'm done with you, you will wish you had never pressed that button."

Oogie turned to the Treaters.

"You told me he had no powers."

"We didn't think he did. He said he didn't."

"I lied."

He grew his scythe and flames shot up from the floor, just like his father.

"You think you know my father? You don't know his power nor do you know mine. You kidnapped me and tried to use me for your own personnel gain. But the most heinous of your crimes was that you attacked and tried to kill my little sister.

HOW DARE YOU? I AM JR., THE PRINCE OF THE UNDERWORLD AND FUTURE GRIM REAPER! FEAR ME!"

Just as he was coming down with his scythe, Minnie hugged him from behind. She rubbed her hands on his chest back and forth, trying to calm him.

"Mine brother, thou must refrain from the use of thou's demonic hatred. Creatures as these do not deserve your most incredible powers."

He breathed deep, inhaling his sister's scent and leaned back. He smiled down at her then turned to Oogie.

"If I ever catch you trying this bullshit again, I will cut out your stuffing! Do you hear me?"

He and his sister walked out of the hideout, Zero behind them.

Oogie turned to his lackeys, menace returned.

"You three…You were commanded to do the simplest of tasks. Kidnapping someone of power, yet unable to use it. I wonder how I got such idiots for minions, but it doesn't matter. I might as well have some fun with you all."

"W-what are y-you gonna d-do to us, M-mr. Oogie?"

"Have some fun, starting with the leader of this plan."

Lock and Shock weren't exactly all for punishment. So they did the next best thing.

"Barrel said it would work."

"All his idea."

They scrammed before said Treater could get a word in edgewise. At least it bought them a couple of minutes of reprieve.

"So you started this. You told me of this farce of power."

Barrel shivered in fear.

"They're lying! Shock was the one who said it would probably work!"

"Doesn't matter now, lil' Barrel. Now's time for punishment and it seems your batter's up."

Lock and Shock shook as they heard Barrel's scream.

_TLTS_

Jr. and Minnie walked through the cemetery, Zero tagging behind.

"Mine Brother has Nergal powers. How is it that you came into such power?"

"I was planning to tell you after this. Now's the best time, I guess."

Jr. picked Minnie up and set her down on a tombstone. She looked down at him, awaiting the tale she was going to get.

"You died…"

Minnie raised her eyes, but then caught his wording.

"I…died?"

"Remember the year before this one, the first time we came to Halloween town?"

"Yes. Mine brother ran away from me in anger."

"Yeah, well, I went to the cemetery first. I got captured, not you. Everything went like it did tonight except…"

"What is it, mine brother?"

"I…I just…"

"Tell, please. I must know of my own expiration."

"I couldn't save you, alright! I…saw my own little sister torn, ligaments and all. I was powerless to save you.

Then you gave me your eye and I was confused…"

Minnie sat straight, her posture stick.

"M-my eye. Which one was it Jr.? Please don't say it was my left eye."

Her entire body was blushing cherry red.

"Why your left? What was so…?"

He remembered when his great uncle told him the right eye signified a mating ritual. He looked up mating and, well, let's just say his bones grew blood red. He was happy his sister didn't do that. It would have been the most embarrassing thing in the entire world.

"N-nah, you gave me the power up."

Minnie was able to breathe out, but then grew worried again.

"So you gained my powers…what else did you gain?"

Jr. felt Minnie stare above. He knew what she meant. He knew her now. He knew exactly who she was and how she was, her exact mannerism. He knew of her intense love she had for him.

"Yes…I know Minnie."

Minnie turned away, her eyes tearing up.

"Mine brother; please do not hate me for it. I could not stop these feelings that had grown from complete adoration to…"

"Incredible love?"

Minnie brought her hands up to her face as she cried. Jr. took her into him.

"Please Minnie, don't cry."

"But mine feelings are…impure. I should not feel like this for mine own brother and yet I cannot help it, not even from this distance. I am unclean-!"

"Minnie! Don't you dare say such a thing to me! You are the purest being I have ever seen. You are so beautiful, so powerful, so cool, I felt jealous. In my jealousy, you died before my eyes, trying to save me."

He took her face into his hands. He let his Nergal powers mix with his Reaper powers and created flesh for himself, just like when he went to the Limbo circle of Hell.

His face tanned, hair grew onto his head, muscle covering the bone, then flesh covering muscle. He felt the eye Minnie gave him slide into his right eye, and left eye growing. It was obvious she had given him her eye, his left eye blue, but his right grey as hers.

"Mine sister has such complete love for me, she would look past my faults and find love and hope that her brother would love back. Such love is incredible. Thou should feel joyous in this occasion. Especially since you given me this eye, I see your reason for loving me…and I revel in it."

Minnie's eyes shot open when she felt lips on hers. Her brother, the one who had felt complete envy to extraordinary love in an instant, was kissing her! Her eyes closed slowly and she wrapped her arms around his neck, hoping to be enveloped in his warmth.

Minnie shivered as her brother stepped away slightly. He was grinning at her dazed look.

"It seems lil' sis is entranced."

"I-I…"

Jr. almost cracked a rib on the tombstone when Minnie clutched his sweater and pulled him to her. Jr. was almost surprised when he felt a tongue enter his mouth. But he wasn't ready to be outdone. Jr. wrestled his tongue with his sister.

Jr. didn't exactly need air. He was still dead, even with this makeshift body. Minnie, on the other hand, was certain she wouldn't be able to continue even though she really wanted to. She pushed back slightly.

"Brother, I have lost my wind. Let me catch it."

She breathed and Jr. looked at her breathless form. She was beautiful in his eyes and he wouldn't be able help himself soon. He brushed her hair back, trying to see even more of her lovely face, yet feeling her soft and thin tendrils. Her face looked to him and he smiled.

"I love you so much, mine sister."

Minnie cried out and jumped him. They landed on the ground, Jr. taking its brunt. Minnie snuggled her head into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Brother?"

"Yes?"

"What will father and mother think?"

Jr. was floored. Yeah, that was going to be something they would have to figure out. He wasn't sure he could hide these feelings and Minnie was insatiable for him. They had to tell.

"I don't know Minnie. I mean, Mom and Dad don't exactly seem the type to get together and yet here we are."

Minnie nodded, but hid her face.

"Wouldst thou be able to stop their rage?"

"They aren't going to get mad Minnie, just…confused and shocked. I gotta tell dad, especially with the lost of my powers."

Minnie looked confused now.

"Lost? What is your meaning?"

"I have to solidify my powers to make sure the timeline stays like it is. You will forever stay as the unbroken Minnie."

Jr. let the skin of himself fall, but what remained was her eye in his right socket. He rolled it to the left.

"Minnie, will you be my mate?"

Minnie giggled, making Jr. raise his eye. Wasn't this supposed to be the part where she cried out and said yes vehemently?

"Mine brother, thou knowst not how to present thou's mating eye. The female always gives first, and then the male gives it back after taking the power from the eye."

Jr. frowned. He didn't want her to know any pain, but she had to anyway.

Minnie opened her hand into claw and dug into her left socket. Her socket bled a little, but she smiled as if she had no pain. She handed it to Jr.

Jr. at first didn't know what to do, but then he allowed his Nergal instincts to take over. He took the eye into his hand and let his fangs grow. He bit into the eye slightly, the juice falling into his mouth.

The juices glowed green then red and he swallowed them. He took the eye from his mouth and slid it back into the socket of his sister. Almost immediately, the eye reset itself and grew back to its regular size as if it had never been taken out.

Minnie fell into him.

"I feel most weak. Mine powers have fallen incredibly."

Jr. rubbed his sister's back. He felt his jump. Maybe he wouldn't have to explain how he lost his powers. She huffed a little. But then she smiled to his face.

"What?"

"I feel the wish to fly."

He smiled then felt his sister's wings grow underneath his.

"Wait!"

Minnie gave him a questioning look. He grew his scythe behind her. She didn't expect to get stabbed from behind. He hoped she could trust him in this. He worked his powers and sucked a bit of Nergal power, transforming it to Reaper powers, to make sure he was maintaining a half-and-half.

When Minnie felt the scythe enter her back, she thought her brother had lost it. But then she remembered he needed to complete his powers.

She scrunched up when he felt him pull from her back.

"All done."

"Thou must inform me of such invasions such as that."

"Sorry. Ready for that flight/"

She spread her wings and flapped, taking hold of his hands and flew up. She grinned happily as he shed his own wings.

Jr. did not know he would have to explain himself once he got back to Halloween town.

* * *

**Well, there it goes. Kinda long, huh?**

**Till next time, Animaster/Doragoon out.**


	5. Mine Father

_Rated T_

_What up peoples? I think you'll like this chp. I've been thinking more on this than I have with iTTHI. I guess it's cuz I can relate to Grim Tales fans since we know what's been goin on there._

_Disclaimer: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

"Grim."

Grim turned around to his wife, Mandy.

"I want to go and see Joe after this."

"What? No, nonononono!"

"Griiiim."

She didn't say his name in her usual condescending voice when she wanted him to do something. She said it in an understanding voice. They had an agreement he was to abide by.

See, Joe Black was Grim's persona on Earth. He was able to acquire much power in stocks such as Bank of America and, ironically, Disney. He has good looks, incredible strength, and could match any intelligence with his own.

Grim hated Joe Black.

Joe wasn't just some persona he assumed on Earth. He was his own entity, a person in his own spirit. Joe resided in Grim's scythe and would talk to him when needed. But Joe was arrogant, because he had Grim's job as well. He also was the most annoying voice when Grim was set up to be best friends with Billy and Mandy. He would judge Grim with how he abused his powers, how he didn't use them like he was supposed to.

But when Mandy took her day of being Grim and Grim found her plans, Joe was silent for the rest of the day. He didn't talk when they overlooked on the plans, nor did he when Grim turned on the T.V. Grim went on a spree, reaping each and every poor soul that happened to meet its expiration.

Joe had busied himself, not with berating Grim, but checking on Mandy. Every night, Grim could not help, but look into his scythe and see Mandy grow into a beautiful woman. Grim was attracted, Joe was smitten. After his bout with Susan, he wished to never fall in love with a woman. God, but Mandy had something no one else had. She was deadly and she would not be resting in the Underworld after her death, but ruling. He could very well see her doing it. So why not take her beside him.

When she said yes to his proposal, Joe had wanted to jump up and down, but maintained himself in front of the very strong radiance before him.

Mandy had not spent her honeymoon with Grim as she had thought. She had spent it with Joe. Mandy had never smiled before, but being with this extraordinary man that she had married, she had been tempted to crack a muscle or two. The nights spent with him was…let's just say Jr. didn't come from a stranger.

Yes, Joe was Jr.'s father.

Joe had wanted Jr. to be his, but knew he would be fully alive, not a part of the Underworld. So he allowed for Mandy to get the abortion just before the second trimester, when her belly was just about full. Joe had screamed through Grim's head the entire time. After Grim asked what that was about, Joe said he could feel Jr.'s soul scream in pain. Since then, Joe never forgave himself.

Mandy, after the honeymoon, had made Grim promise that when she wanted to go see Joe, he would do so without question and in return, she continued to be his commander for his army. Grim made the deal, but saw that Mandy had put a capable general that could command the army without the need of Mandy, but still referred to her. Nergal Jr. So she made sure to visit Joe seven times a year, mainly for the holidays and such.

Meet Joe Black. Sooner or later, everyone does.

Grim huffed and crossed his arms. Mandy came up beside him and rubbed his head.

Grim then felt a presence coming in from another dimension. It was demonic.

"Nergal Jr."

Mandy looked up to see her general come in from a green portal. He jumped from the air and landed in a huff.

"Where is my daughter, Grim?"

"Dat's what I would like to know."

"Don't tell me you lost her. I leave my child with you for five months and you lose her?"

"Shuddap! She wouldn't be your child if you don't go about screwin' me wife!"

"I wouldn't have been had you been able to be a real father! That is your son only because it was aborted! That's the only way you can be a father, the father of all undead babies!"

Grim widened his sockets. His anger grew and flames sprouted up from the cement. The citizens of Halloween town gasped and back away. His scythe grew in his hand.

"How fooking dare you! I needed an heir and I had a son, one that I love very much!"

"How can you love? You are Death and all that emotion you believe you feel is just emotions from-!"

"Boys, both of you stop!"

Mandy had come between them, Grim's bones on her right hand, and NJ's abs on her left.

"The reason I gave him a daughter, Grim, was because he asked for one when I asked him to join my army."

Grim shook his head.

"Yes, I did. I had sex with him to strengthen our army. But I had your child first, Grim. Be happy."

She said it as end to the conversation. She turned to NJ.

"And you. You are going to understand I accepted the fact that my child would be bones, alright. You have no right to dare say that Grim has no feelings. He gave me and Billy, your cousin, time. He allowed us to live for a far longer time that what we were supposed to. You were given a child because you needed an heir, am I correct?"

NJ turned from her.

"I can very well say that the night between us was good…but the night spent with Joe was better. You are my general, do you understand me? Act like you got some balls."

She flicked his ear. He rubbed it and looked at her like a child that didn't get to have his cake before dinner.

"Why are you here, anyway?"

"I felt Minnie's powers decrease by half. I came to see if Grim had done anything to her."

Grim glared. But this piqued his interest as well.

"Dat's…weird. I felt Jr.'s increase tremendously, and then drop back down to its regular amount."

"What do you think could have happened?"

Grim shrugged and they all turned to the approaching shadows coming from the entrance of the town.

_TLTS_

Jr. and Minnie fell to the cement and began to walk. Minnie shivered involuntarily. Jr. turned to her.

"What's wrong?"

"I felt mine blood Father's presence."

"Huh? What about Dad?"

"Not your Father…well, maybe now he is, but I meant dear Uncle Nergal, I believe to you."

"Ohhhh, wait, he's your dad? How come I didn't get told this?"

Minnie shrugged. They walked down the lane of the town. When they entered, they found themselves confronted by their parents.

Jr. and Minnie stared at the adults.

"Why, hello. Jr."

Jr. looked to his dad and felt a little voice in the back of his head saying to run like hell.

"I'm gonna cut right to de chase. Why did I feel your powers increase then drop?"

"I, uhhh…"

"Go on."

Jr. sweated. How was he gonna tell them?

"Minnie?"

Minnie turned to her father.

"I felt your powers drop, but they didn't increase at all. What happened to them?"

"Mine powers are, uhh…"

Now Jr. was freaking out. Minnie always knew what to say in almost any situation. The parents had taken notice also and had become more suspicious.

"Minnie, I want to know what has happened to your powers. I must know so that nothing has happened to you."

"Blood Father…"

Jr. could see Minnie getting nervous and agitated, almost to the point of wanting to flee. He didn't know what was coming over him. He was seeing a slight haze, red in his vision. The person before him was his uncle, but at the moment, he was a threat.

"_**The mate is intimidated. Must protect the mate.**__"_

Jr. could hear the voice again, the one from when he had taken Minnie's powers before she died. Except, it wasn't threatening, but possessive.

"Minnie, now!"

Jr. growled. His Nergal fangs began to grow in his mouth. He glared ahead, but he was probing the power in front of Minnie. The Nergal power was incredible, more so than his. What helped him feel ready to combat was that he had Reaper powers. Combined, they both outweighed the probability of him getting his ass handed to him.

NJ glanced to Jr. and turned his head to his nephew. He could see it. The flesh of a Nergal demon was branching out of the bone child's mouth. What had happened?

"Minnie, tell me now!"

"Stay away!"

Jr. spun in between NJ and Minnie. His eyes glowed green and he rumbled from his chest as demon claws, fangs, and wings began to sprout.

"What da fook?"

Grim was baffled and even Mandy had lost her blank, aggressive demeanor to surprise.

NJ backed up a little, but then blasted his powers out. What he felt in return was a slap in the face. Jr. was stronger.

"Minnie, come to me."

Minnie stood stock-still behind Jr. She was afraid. This was her mate in front of her. Her Nergal instinct took hold and was making her stay straight behind the soul she shared with.

NJ had decided to take a step forward, all bent to ending this foolishness

"Minnie!"

"DON'T COME NEAR HER!"

Jr. summoned his scythe. The Nergal powers immediately changed it, Nergal flesh appearing onto the steel handle of the blade. Jr. was halfway in transformation, but trying to calm himself. He knew this man in front of him, had for all his life. But he was a threat, so he was taking precautions.

"Jr., put away ya scythe! Never brandish your scythe against allies, even wife-humping allies like this."

Mandy slapped Grim's skull, making him rub it.

"Minnie, please…"

Jr. had his mouth open in a menace. Minnie widened his eyes when her father took a step forward.

"AHHH!"

Jr. swiped at NJ's feet. NJ jumped back and stared Jr. with shocked eyes. His nephew had taken a slash at him.

"Grim Death Black Jr.!"

Now Grim was getting angry.

Jr. could sense more power. It was coming from the black-robed one. He could feel it mounting. And he wasn't sure he could take more than one at a time. He made a move.

Jr. sliced into the dimension and pulled a frozen Minnie in with him as he jumped through.

NJ held out his hand to the disappearing hole. He watched as it dissipated before he could make an inch toward it.

Everyone had the same thought going through their heads. What the fuck was that?

* * *

**Review**


	6. Space Bewteen Lover Mine

_Rated T_

_Hey, just finished iOMG from what I believed was going to happen, though I may continue. Anyway, here's the chp. Tell what you think after._

_Disclaimer: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

Jr. awoke to the sound of roars and hisses around him. His head was splitting and he was assured his bones weren't exactly all intact.

"Damn, that was rough. W-where am I?"

Jr. looked around. It was like something out of the _Demonizor Weekly Comic_ store. The ground was complete flesh and seemed sort of moving. The air was thick with sweat, other vapors, and other stenches. It was as if he were in a demonic wasteland, the desolation absolute.

He stood to his feet and made sure to keep himself alert. He still had to figure out why-!

"Minnie? Minnie! Where are you!"

Jr. swiveled his head so much, it kept turning even after he stopped.

"Minnie!"

He was already worried and panic was just on the way. He was assured that he grabbed her when he went through. He could still feel her waist on his hand…

He looked down. When had she ever gotten curves like that, he didn't know. And frankly, such thoughts were supposed to be at the rear of his mind…

"So soft-GAH! Gotta stop that! I have to find her soon. Who knows where she is?"

He shook his head and started running, not really taking notice of the beady eyes that were surrounding the entry of the ground behind him.

"Hey, master. Dat's da kid we gotta get for that red fella, right?"

"Yes, you idiot, now shut it before we get discovered!"

"Hey, master. You gonna be king of da world afta we get him, right?"

"You got that. Now can it, you bozos, he'll discover us if you keep on. I'm going to be king of Earth!"

The demon yelled, completely contradicting what he had just told his lackeys.

_TLTS_

NJ had his arms crossed, his face in complete contemplation. What happened earlier with his nephew was just a baffle to him and he still didn't understand how Nergal powers, ones such as those, were able to appear. Of course, he realized what had happened right after Jr. ran into the portal. His daughter was mate with her bone brother, but even mates couldn't produce power such as those.

See, Nergal powers were very precise and complicated. Those born with Nergal powers or given Nergal powers through eye attachment were the only ones who could summon the flesh of his father. He hadn't felt Minnie die, saw her with his own eyes before him, and Jr. didn't have the power to reap or place people's souls just yet, just the power to kill.

But he had felt Nergal power come from the boy when he probed him and saw the flesh grow onto his face, back, and hands. Nergal mating was also out of the question. Such giving of powers as those only enhanced the powers of the receiver, not give them Nergal abilities as well and with that said, if Nergal powers were detected during the giving of the eye, it enhanced those automatically and ignored any other powers, which bought him back to the question of where did Jr. get Nergal powers from?

"NJ."

NJ turned to his commander. Mandy walked up to the general, her eyes full of question.

"So, were you able to discern where my son was able to get Nergal powers?"

"No, and I've calculated everything from drawing powers to the mating."

"Mating?"

"Yeah. Jr. and Minnie are mated to each other; I could feel it when I probed him. That was the same reason Minnie's powers fell. God, how did this happen?"

"Well, it was to be considered. They spend so much time with each other, in the end; it was bound to come to light, in one way or another."

NJ looked to her incredulously.

"What the hell are you talking about? They're siblings and we let something like this happen! We didn't have enough time to teach them right from wrong!"

Mandy seemed a little disconcerted at this. Grim came up from behind NJ, his face in confusion of the argument.

"What's goin' on?"

"Your wife told me that Jr. and Minnie being mated was okay!"

"Jr. and Minnie are mated?"

"In Nergal terms, yeah!"

"Mandy?"

"I said it was to be expected. I could really care less; it's their life between each other. Might as well trust the one you've been with your entire life than some stranger."

NJ gestured to her, her statement completely rattling his mind.

"Well, to be technical, dey are only half brotha and sistah."

"Grim!"

"What do you want me ta say? Dink about it, dey have been surrounded wid only each other, so it's natural ta want ta stay wid each other."

Mandy took her turn in, also.

"And not only that, but me and Grim aren't exactly the most expected couple of the year. It's actually unnatural in its own self."

NJ seemed to back down.

"And I gave birth to a demonic child, something that should have never happened. That was unnatural, right? SO suck it UP!"

NJ sighed. This was more than he could handle and he wasn't sure he could beat their logic. Mandy hadn't finished.

"You, yourself, saw how he was protective of her. He was willing to cut you down in cold blood, knowing who you were, just for her. I may not be able to sense powers, but I can certainly sense fear, and for a second, you feared your nephew."

"…He had more powers than I had. His was amplified by both his Nergal and Reaper powers. If I had gone into battle with him, I would not have been able to defeat him, not easily anyway."

Grim took his chance for input.

"I sensed dem, too. I believe he fleeted due to da factor dat I was beginning to mount my powers."

Mandy shook her head.

"Either way, what's most important is that we find out where the kids transported too."

"I probed the air and we can just go through the dimension scar Jr. opened."

"Alright, I just called Pain and told him to station himself and the troops just outside the skirts of the entrance to Halloween town. We can just teleport them should it be needed."

"Wait, Grim!"

They turned to meet the running form of Jack.

"Jack, what is it, mon?"

"I want to come with you."

"Are you sure? It's going to be pretty dangerous."

"Hey, I want to save my nephew too."

"Okay, but make sure you don't get lost. Can't have da king of Halloween disappearing on me."

Jack nodded.

"Jack!"

Everyone, but Jack sighed as they were once again held from their mission. Sarah came running, a glowing orb in her hands.

"You almost forgot your Orb of Hallo's Eve."

"Thank you, Sal, can't forget this."

He gave Sally a kiss before turning to the others. Grim decided to voice his question before they left.

"What's dat?"

"The Orb of Hallo's Eve. It gives me super strength and allows me to create magic. Used this when a couple of new friends came strolling in, looking for a keyhole they had to unlock, and then locked back later."

Sounds tedious."

"Yeah, but I can never forget the Keyblade Master."

_TLTS_

Jr. was getting tired of this. He had been going on for minutes and he hadn't seen anything that so happened to signify an end. It was as if he were walking in a circle.

"So, master. Now that we have him in the Universe of Limbo, can we get em' now?"

"Yep."

Jr. heard a voice. Actually, three of them.

"Well, well, lil' boy. Guess you got trapped, huh?"

Jr. turned to the sight of three demons. One favored that of a crocodile in a suit, the other two, ugly, disfigured gorillas in overalls. He tried not to shudder in disgust, but they were mighty bad to the eyes.

"Uhhh, yeah. I've been goin on and on for miles and I can't seem to reach an end."

"Well, it's to be expected."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

The demons grinned, well, the one in the front did, the other two just looked like clowns. He raised a brow at them.

"You see, lil' boy Death, we know you are the son of the legendary Grim Reaper. See, we have been hired by an excellent contractor that wished to have use take you to him. It seems you are a very special person in his eyes, one that will make him very powerful. And with us as accomplices, I can rule the world, my lackeys right behind me!"

Jr. looked at him as if he had just grown another head. Was this guy on crack? He had seen people on crack and they were just as crazy, if not crazier than this guy!

"…You're on crack, aren't you? No one has that much power. Not even my father!"

"Ahh, but apparently, he does. I believe him due to tha factor that he is Satan's right-hand man. We were told his name, but it just easy enough to call the guy HIM."

Jr.'s eyes widened. He hadn't heard that name for months and he had forgotten HIM after awhile.

"And when he takes your powers of death, he can help give the Devil back his powers. Then, even Heaven shall fall to his might!"

Jr. just knew that this was becoming an insane man's idea. He had to get out of this place, Minnie needed him, and he certainly wasn't going to get caught up in some scheme HIM cooked up.

While the croc laughed it up as if he were the master genius, Jr. took that time to grow his scythe. Oh, yeah, he was so gonna end this right here and now. Just a slice off the hand. Demons could grow any appendage back quick and he was gonna make sure he was understood when he told him to just end it there.

One of the gorillas took notice and scratched his head. He turned to his brother.

"Hey, you see dat?"

"Hmm, kinda looks like a sickle from back at home."

The croc was still laughing, the gorillas tried to get his attention.

"Master?"

"I am so gonna make me a king. I'll have slaves, gold, and even concubines. I heard humans are very good feelin', if you get my meanin'! HAHAH!"

"Master!"

"What do you fools want? Can't you see that I'm basking in my greatness?"

The gorillas pointed behind him, their faces beginning to fill with fear. He turned, his mood turning sour. He got the sight of little boy Death gripping his scythe.

"What the hell do you think you're doin', lil' boy? Think you gonna use that on me?"

"Hey, I just want to get to my sis. You're standing in my way and this whole take over the world thing is something I've heard before and once again, it ain't gonna happen."

"Ain't gonna happen? Please, don't you see that there is three of us and only one lil ole you? HAHA, and don't worry, I know good and well what happened to yo lil sis. I think a lil juice from her pure Nergal body will give me all the power I need to take over the Earth. AHAHAHAHA!"

Jr. only flinched. His sister was captured? And this fool thought he was gonna use her? Not while he still had his scythe. Fuck hand, he was beheading this ass.

The gorillas saw as their master laughed, flames shot out from the ground and surrounded the bone boy. The two grabbed each other in fear and tried to catch the attention of their amused master.

"Master!"

"If you two buffoons don't shut the hell up, I'm gonna-!"

SLICE! As soon as the croc turned his head to them, the scythe came full 360. The speed was so fast, the croc had time to blink and gasp before the severed spinal column, esophagus, and blood vessels fell with the head of the croc demon.

Apparently, there was enough of the cerebrum that allowed for movement, because the next thing the body did was feel around the air above the bleeding neck for the head that was on the fleshy ground. Just as it was beginning to lean in decent, another slice was made and the entire body was split down the middle, separating around Jr. and his face full of rage.

The gorilla demons were in full fear of the little boy. He downed their master in only ten seconds. And they were sure he wasn't done.

"Where the hell is my sister?"

_TLTS_

Minnie awoke to warmth. Which was very alarming, due to the factor that she couldn't feel her clothes on her body. Instead, she felt slimy clutches wrapped around her hands and from her feet up to her waist. She sighed at that, relieved she wasn't completely naked. She felt binds on her breast and at her eyes, the same flesh on her limbs was dry, but still enough that she couldn't open them.

"B-brother?"

She was frightened. She couldn't see, couldn't move. She was trapped and, with no answer from her mate, alone. She struggled what she could, her chest moving with her stomach and upper arms. But the more she moved, the tighter the wrappings become. She soon gave up, the slim not meant for movement, but glue.

She took breather then gagged. She actually had the time to take smell of her surroundings and was very disgusted by the smell that had wafted to her nose. It was as if the corpses of the mot to her castle home were now around her.

"By Gods, such stench is most retched."

"Is that so? Sorry if the standards don't meet your tastes, princess."

She gasped. So she wasn't alone! Who was this before her?

"Who are thou? For what purpose am I strapped and stripped to this most distasteful prison?"

"Oh, my dear, you are here for the reason of giving me one of the most INCREDIBLE powers in the Underworld."

"What is it that you speak of?"

She felt a clawed hand cup her jaw.

"Well, you are the granddaughter of the great Nergal, yes? Why, such an honor is very wanted. He is of the few demons that haven't been mixed in with others. And while it is regrettable that you still have human in you, I do believe we can get past that, yes?"

"W-what do you plan on doing with me?"

She hated how she stuttered. She could not show weakness!

"I plan to suck the demonic energy from your body and process it into me. And since I am such a gracious king, I plan to give bits and pieces to my brethren. So I will keep you for as long as I like. I may even have a bit of fun with you…"

As he said this, another clawed hand slide down her frame, stopping at her waist. She shuddered. She knew what he meant and was completely appalled, her fear growing.

"Thou touch me as if I were a woman. Have thou naught shame? Defiling a child?"

"Ahh, but it is when they are children that they are most tender. Besides, I am assured you won't be leaving anytime soon, so don't worry. I won't be defiling a child for too long. AHAHAHAHA!"

Minnie felt tears begin to swell in her eyes. She was truly captured. And she wasn't sure that her brother was actually free to get her if he was beside her when they got in the portal. But that was the only person she wanted, regardless. She wanted him.

"B-brother. Mate! J-JR!"

* * *

**I know for a fact so many of ya'll have been waiting for this little chap. Sorry for the wait and for the first time, which I should have started doing before, I would like to thank my readers.**

**fallout-boy97**

**chickmunk4reals**

**nightmaster000**

**BlackTemplarKnight295**

**So, yeah, keep readin ya'll and hopefully, more updates can attract a larger group!**

**Till next time, Animaster/Doragoon out.**


	7. Fear in Mine Rescue

_Rated T_

_Hey, just finished iOMG from what I believed was going to happen, though I may continue. Anyway, here's the chp. Tell what you think after._

_Disclaimer: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

Could he just kill these two? It would only take five seconds for each of them and even getting trapped in this horrible maze was worth it. Junior was seriously contemplating it.

God, the two buffons gave his head an ache that rivaled that of the Nick Jr. channel. They never shut up and when he tried to quiet them, they would cower away. It would take him five minutes to coax them to following him again.

He needed to get out of the Universe of Limbo they told him. They hadn't known what happened to his sister, their 'master' was the only one who knew, but they knew how to get out of the enclosure that he was now trapped in. As he walked, he looked down at the silver orb that lay in his hands. When it shined would be the time he could make his way out.

"Hey, Mumbo."

"Yeah, Jumbo?"

"Why'd da rooster cross da road?"

"I don't know Jumbo? Why'd da rooster cross da road?"

"He could see a cute chick on da other side!"

They fell to each other's sides and bawled on the ground. Junior was sure that if he had a vein in his head at the momenth, it would have popped by now.

"Hey, dumb and dumber."

They looked to his shuddering form.

"Shut the hell up."

They scratched their heads, but continued on.

"And that joke sucked. Who told it to you?"

"Master."

"I just did the entire Underworld a favor. Dumbass can't make jokes for crap."

"Do you know any good jokes, new master?"

"Course I do! And stop calling me master."

"Well, tell us, tell us!"

Jr. sighed and shook his head. He smiled as one of his dirty jokes came to mind.

"Alright. Well, there was a kingdom. And in this kingdom lived a king, his daughter, the princess, and three knights."

"So, five people lived in the kingdom?"

"What, were did you get five?"

"You said a king, his daughter, the princess, and three knights lived there. Five."

Jr. turned to look at Mumbo and Jumbo, his face full of surprise.

"The king's daughter is the princess, you dolts!"

"Okay,okay, keep going."

"Hmph, so the princess was real hot, like Lauren London hot. Well, these three knights kinda of wanted her real bad."

"Wanted her to do what?"

Jr. smacked his head.

"Anyway, they really wanted to have sex with her. So the king had to leave the kingdom for awhile and knew that the three knights wanted to have sex with his daughter. So, while she was asleep, he placed a trap in her…vagina, so that if any of the knights decided to get frisky, he would know."

He giggled, and then straightened up, composing himself.

"So, the night after the king left, the three nights were outside the princess' door, guarding. One of the knights finally couldn't take it anymore and turned to his comrades.

'I can't take it anymore! Be damned if she's the princess, I'm gonna get me some.'

And with that, walked into the room. Twenty minutes later, the other two heard a skin curdling scream. The knight ran out and closed the door.

'There was a raccoon in there!'

So they all stood guard again before the second knight couldn't take it anymore and turned to his comrades.

'Alright, whatever it is, I don't care, I'm gonna get through this night after getting me some!'

And with that, he walked in. Twenty minutes later, both heard a chilling howl. The second guard ran out and closed the door behind him.

'There was a lion in there!'

So they all stood guard once more, before the third knight shook his head and turned to his comrades.

'Alright. Whatever is in there has probably gone away by now. Before the night ends, I'm gonna get me some!"

"This joke is way longer than the chicken crossing the road one."

"Shut up! Anyway, he walks in and twenty minutes later, the knight came out, not saying a word.

So the king comes back the next day and lines up the three knights. He turns to them and nods.

'Drop your pants, all of you."

The all drop their pants and while two of them have lost their manhoods, one still remains. The king walks up to the third and asks.

'What do you have to say?'

The third o-opens his heh heh mouth and says

'Mpghmgh'"

Jr. busted down onto the ground laughing, the two gorillas, behind him collapsing as well, but in the midst of their laughter, Mumbo stops.

"I don't get it."

Jumbo follows.

"Me neither."

Jr. wipes a tear.

"You don't get it? Ahaha, he lost his tongues 'cause he was…"

The two looked at him and he shook his head.

"You guys ARE idiots. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to kill that guy after all if I have to deal with this."

Just as he said this, the silver orb glowed. He looked to it and turned around.

"Hey, you two! This thing is glowing!"

"Hey, it is."

"Uhh, yeah, now what do I do?"

"You, uhhh, you, ummmm…"

Jr. shook his head.

"I am so not getting out of this any time soon."

He looked down at orb.

"Hey, I remember."

"What?"

"You throw it as far and hard as you can, enough to be able to break a window."

Jr. looked down at the orb and smirked. It was a good thing he loved baseball. He chucked it, the fastball worth the pros. It continued to fly and instead of slowing, it passed over the horizon and disappeared. Jr. stood there for a minute before he turned to the idiots as he dubbed them.

"Ummm, now what?"

He heard a cracking. He turned back to the horizon to see a large break in the sky. Soon, it began to fall and it shined to blinding and Jr. shielded himself. When he looked back up, it wasn't as barren. Instead, there were hills, some rivers, and a large crater.

He was concerned now. Some hills were regular upside mountains, while others were made of bones. Human skulls, ribs, and other anatomy parts sticking in and out of the hills.

The rivers made his bones shiver. Blood flowed down in connections and he could see steam rising out of them.

He slowly walked to the now reachable crater. He looked back and the gorillas were unusually quiet, their faces grim.

He turned back, now completely frightened. He looked into the crater and gasped.

It was a fiery town, surrounded by lava.

"This isn't hell."

He looked to Mumbo, his face confused.

"It is close, but it is only a realm of certain demons. Hell is reserved for humans only, demons visit only for their jobs to torture."

Jr. stared at the menacing town. He was here to save his sister, but could he really do this?

"W-where am I?"

"You are in the realm of the Nergalings, denizens of the great king Nergal himself. In this city, many demons from that of a Succubus to those of the Possessors."

"This is the most feared town due to the factor that the general of the town is Cthulhu."

Jr. looked into the town, more afraid than he had been when Minnie had gone wrathful. Could he really do this?

_TLTS_

Cthulhu breathed slowly as he gathered his energy within the chamber. The cream suit on his humanoid body, shined even in the dark, his dark skin in complete contrast. The flesh within the chambers surged and pulsated, spots glowing, the most bright attached to Minnie's body.

"Alright, let's get started! You ready, Princess?"

Minnie growled in his direction, her hearing more than capable of pointing him out. Cthulhu chuckled at her.

"Okay, maybe not. Ah, well."

He slipped his jacket off and loosened his tie. The flesh on the floor swirled onto his legs. The glowing flesh grew brighter.

"It's time."

Minnie felt her body catch fire. It was as if she was burning in a bat of lava.

"AHHHHH!"

It hurt so much, she didn't know if she could keep herself awake from the pain. Cthulhu was her exact opposite, drinking in the power of his captive.

"OHHH, THIS IS EXTRAORDINARY! THIS POWER IS AMAZING, PRINCESS!"

Cthulhu laughed as he felt his power grow. It was making him surge with energy and he was sure he wouldn't be able to take all the power she was surging at the moment, lest he explode with energy. Her power was too pure, too unfiltered to fully suck all the regenerative power out all at once. She was a like a self recharging battery, but with raw element.

He realized he had to let go quick and allowed the fleshing floor to recede off his body.

"Ohh, that…that was mind-blowing, most pleasurable to the highest degree. I must say you, far exceed expectations. Once you regain the lost powers, w-we can resume another session. I will be back, Princess, so be ready. I-I must tend to my people."

He exited from the chamber, the flesh receding from the light for a moment of the door being open, then crawling back over, covering the chamber.

And in the dark chambers, Minnie sobbed as she sank in her personal hell, her resonance unknowingly calling for her mate.

* * *

**Yeah, I know short, but I'm trying to get out of the habit of overwriting. Thank you to those who reviewed.**

**Till next time, Animaster/Doragoon out.**


	8. Relative of Mine

_Rated T_

_Yeah, I ain't got nothing to say. So, uhh, yeah, deal with it._

_Disclaime__r: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

BEAT!

Jr. looked up from the warm ground leading to the bridge for crossing into the town. In his head, in his body, in his bones, he felt the thump of the swallowed blood of Minnie. Within that second and the next minute, all Jr. could feel was complete and utter-!

"YAAAAAAAHHOHHOH!"

"Master, what is it?"

"Master, please, don't leave us!"

"Master? MASTER!"

Jr. fainted, the pain most great.

_TLTS_

Jr. awoke, but not to the dark red sky of the Nergal realm. No, he was staring into a dark abyss of nothingness.

"_W-what the hell?"_

"_Not hell, my boy."_

He heard the voice, but didn't immediately recognize who it was. He remembered it from somewhere, but he couldn't place it on his skull.

"_Where is this? Who are you?"_

"_Oh, my boy. I feel slighted that you know not of me, especially of the factor that you are within my town."_

"_Your town...!"_

He remembered. This was the voice of-!

He turned around many times, hoping for a sign.

"_Please, where are you?"_

"_Right here, my boy."_

He turned and stared straight into the green and black eyes of his Great Uncle Nergal, king of the Nergal-verse.

_TLTS_

Grim and Mandy didn't move as quickly as NJ had hoped they would.

"Will you two come on? We have kids to find."

Jack chimed in.

"I do believe he's right. We have no idea where this is and for all we know, Jr. and Minnie could very well be in trouble."

Grim nodded, but didn't make any quicker moves. Mandy didn't even bat an eye, not that NJ was all that surprised.

"We cannot move as quickly here because we are here without invite. Unless da king of dis realm grants us passage, we could very well be killed. We are king and queen of de underworld, yes, but we do not have power in oda realms. The Nine Circles of Hell are also witout passage to us unless we ask Lucifer himself."

"What? But you're Death; you shouldn't have to cater to rules like that. Jack is moving without fail, too!"

"Jack is a special case. Since he is not of king in a demonic realm, he is more of passing visitor. He can do no harm."

"And me?"

"Do you not recognize your father's realm?"

NJ tilted his head slightly before realizing he was indeed in the Nergal realm. He sighed as he conceded that this would take time, more time than he was certain the kids had.

_TLTS_

Jr.'s head pounded as he stared up at his great uncle. The black suited demon took a red lacquered seat in front of a cosmos and several screens.

"G-great Uncle Nergal!"

"Oh, so you do know of me, boy? Mayhap, we are friends?"

"You don't remember? You helped me realize my Nergal powers and taught me that that everything Minnie was became me.

You taught me that she gave me her strengths, her weaknesses, her thoughts, her feelings, her joys, her discomforts, her secrets, and the most important, her love for me. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have been able to let go of my petty envy and come to love myself for me, even if for only a fraction of how much I love her."

"I seem to have taught you much. But I am assured I don't really remember you."

"Why…?"

Than Jr. realized he was talking to the Nergal before his meeting. Everything he knew of the Nergal happened right after Minnie died. Great Uncle Nergal didn't even know of his existences till now.

"Uhhh, he he. I finally know why you don't know me."

"?"

"But you know must know why I'm here, right?"

"Well, the factor that my granddaughter is in pain and her mate is experiencing his first Soul Entwining. I guess you must be the lucky fellow."

Nergal sniffed attentively, a curious expression on his face. He grinned slowly.

"You are her half-brother, aren't you? You did something you know that many are opposed of and yet, you mated with your sister anyway."

Jr. blushed, but was not going to allow for ridicule, especially if his mate was involved. Since, she was his sister second, mate first.

"Yeah, I did and when I get her back, she will never be unhappy."

A strange, dazed look came over the ancient Nergal's eyes before he was bought back with a hard, raging laughter that transformed into guffaws.

"I-I highly doubt that! You two, or shall I say, you three will be in for such an adventure, it will be written down in the book for generations!"

Jr. looked incredulously at the demon, who had now rolled off the chair and onto the floor.

"Three? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I can't say, for it would ruin the surprise. But I must say, you are loved very much."

Even though he was still engulfed in mirth, the Nergal demon said the last sentence with much honesty. Jr. shook it off, noticing they were beginning to get off subject.

"Alright, look, I don't care. All I want to know is why I fainted and what this Soul Entwining is."

"Hm hm, okay, let me gather myself."

He stood, brushing off the nonexistent dust from his still pristine suit.

"Okay, now that we have ventured into comedy, let me explain the specifics of Soul Entwining."

Nergal gestured next to Jr. and lo and behold, a chair sprang from the star picture. Jr. took his seat and listened in rapt attention.

"Soul Entwining is when the mating force between two Nergal demons or rather any supernatural entity and a Nergal being is so strong that the souls of the two are combined, literally. The entwining, or the merging of these two souls is so great from both the energy and the emotions.

Usually, these emotions are of love and adoration at its highest degree. It's like saying the two have become soul mates at the maximum level. Now, that is not to say that love is needed for Soul Entwining. Rage, lost, and other strong emotions can fuel the power needed. But…"

Nergal dazed out again before becoming focused at Jr. again.

"Oh my, the love between you both is astounding! Hmmm, and here I thought you were just in it for the power."

Jr. almost growled at little sentence. How dare he believe him to be so petty as to use Minnie's emotions like that!

"Don't get me wrong, you seem like a nice kid, but I needed to make sure my granddaughter wasn't getting hurt, even by her brother."

Jr. nodded, the situation more or less acceptable to him now. But then he became confused.

"What is with you and that eye glazing thing. You look high."

Nergal seemed to ignore the comment made to his stature.

"I can see the past, present, and future of all my Nergal blood relatives. You were not related to me by blood, but since drinking in the power of her eye, you have gained familial relations and so, I can see into what has happened, is happening, and will happen to you."

Jr. nodded, slowly confirming his understanding.

"So our love was so strong, we became merged?"

"Now, you're getting it, my boy! See, the reason you fainted was because you felt her at pain. The pain is ten-folded due to you being unable to protect her. It is punishment at not being able to protect your mate."

Jr. looked down solemnly. Even now, he was unable to keep his Minnie safe. His hand gripped the gold.

"Now, now, don't become upset. All you need to do is save her and then, you won't be in any pain."

"I don't care about my pain! Minnie is in pain because of my recklessness, all because of my fear!"

Nergal seemed to happily accept this.

"Ahhh, there it is. That love. You will need it. But don't fret, the entwining is a very special gift."

He grabbed Jr.'s bode and pulled him up to his chest.

"The pain is only one thing; you will also feel every emotion, every feeling, every touch of your mate. Those that have, erhm, mated physically say it's the best thing in the world."

Jr. blushed at that comment. How long would it be before he and Minnie engaged in…what was a more mature term for it…contra, coition, coi..coitus! That was is. Yeah, how long before that started to happen? He since turning twelve, he was beginning to feel more and more attracted to her and turning into his human body made him feel more weird when he had kissed her both standing and below her body.

"I can hear your thoughts, boy."

Jr. blushed even harder.

"It's okay to feel that way for your mate."

Nergal began to chuckle again.

"I mean, mates."

"What?"

"Oh my boy, I will meet you many more times before you even reach the age fifteen! Watching you battle, defeat, love, and mature will be my most entertaining thing that will last me for centuries!"

Jr. could feel himself slipping away, could feel hard ground coming back to his body.

"Wait; there are other questions I have!"

"Then you better hold onto them! Until then, my boy!"

Jr. was sucked back into the Nergal realm, his body aflame with complete and utter pain. One to which, he ignored with a shrug. The buffoons were over his body, screaming into his ear in hope.

"Master! You are awake!"

"Yeah, now back the hell up! Damn, all that screaming in my ear is not gonna wake me up!"

Jr. set his shoulders and out of the ground grew his Anchor Scythe. The pain soon left him, as if conceding to his superiority. He glared straight into the town, his displeasure at his mate's pain growing into anger. Those questions for his Great Uncle Nergal would have to wait.

Whoever hurt his precious mate would not just suffer, but beg for his life for dare putting harm on her!

* * *

**All ya'll should be happy that I stayed up past the time I should be asleep to write this mofo. Be happy and review! I demand it for putting much plot and effort into this.**

**Till next time, Animaster/Doragoon out like a light.**


	9. Mine Friends

_Rated T_

_Disclaimer: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

Grim felt the demon before he appeared and might he add, it couldn't have been a worst time for the entrance.

"Nergal."

From the void of the space in front of the group was a dark portal, with which Nergal walked out of. He wasn't all that smiling and was, in fact, glowering at the Reaper of Souls.

"Grim. Mandy. How fair the king and queen of the underworld?"

"Not that it's much of your concern, but we are here to-."

"Yes, I know, you're here for your son and my granddaughter."

Mandy growled low in her throat. She didn't like being interrupted and the factor that he had the gall to do so made her angry. But before she could bring about the pain, demonic realms or not, NJ intervened.

"Father?"

"Junior, my son!"

Nergal grabbed his son in a bear hug that left NJ breathless. He may be general to underworld army, but his father had all his strength and more. He weakly patted his father's back and smiled. Nergal let go and patted NJ's arms.

"What brings you to the outer realm of the Nergalings?"

"I'm here to find my daughter and her brother."

"I see."

Jack decided to make an introduction of himself. Greetings and salutations were his thing after all.

"Hello, Mr. Nergal. I am Jack Skellington, King of Halloween town and brother to Grim. We would like to grace you with our thanks of allowing us into your realm, but as to certain circumstances, we were unable to fully ask for access due to our urgent matters. We are here for my nephew and niece, Grim Jr. and Mini Mandy."

"Huh, seems not all of the Reaper family is ill-equipped with manners. It is very nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Skellington."

Nergal shook hands with Jack as they smiled with such warm grins; it was as though they had just seen a long lost friend. Grim, on the other hand, was more annoyed with the courtesy and was far more inclined to knock his scythe against both their heads.

"Can we move along?"

"Mannerless oaf. Nonetheless, I have seen Jr. in my realm and have spoken to him. He is just outside the town and is about to make his way across the bridge. Minnie is within the town, being held captive by a rogue general of mine. My dearest apologies."

He said it more to Jack and NJ than to either royalty of the Underworld.

"Thank you, sir. We will be off, if that is not a problem."

"Oh, sure, sure. I will allow your stay… if you so happen to do me this favor."

"Oh, whut is it?"

"Grim, be nice. He has given us hospitality; we must give something in return."

"Oh, alright."

"If you could so happen to rid me of that offending demon general Cthulu, I would be most gracious and you can traverse in my realm freely anytime you wish. He must be punished for such insolence. Do be careful, he has aligned himself with someone and they are planning the take over of Earth."

"Cthulu? Dat damned beast! I told you we should have not let him go, Mandy."

"As if I would care that he became general of Nergal town. We let him go and he hasn't learned? Guess killing him would do him much a greater service."

"Sir, thank you kindly for allowing our movement within your place. We defeat this rogue and take back your city for you."

"If it is to help find my granddaughter and her mate, of course."

He smiled smugly as everyone had shocked expressions on their faces for couple of seconds before he disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Mandy stretch her legs as she could finally move without constriction. She turned to the group of supernatural beings and barked her order.

"Let's go!"

_TLTS_

Jr. moved into the town, which now was sporting more than small buildings. Walking into the town, they looked more like skyscrapers with cylinder supports and parking lots. Roads were black moldings and it all had the feel of New York City, if not for the demons walking about.

Jr. moved about the small crowds of demons that were walking in suits and casuals. A giant demon seemed to be making his way down both the roads and the sidewalks. Demons had to move through him and one made the unfortunate move of accidently stepping in his way before winding up squished, to which the giant scrapped his foot on the floor as if he had stepped on a bug.

Jr. and both gorillas jumped quickly to their right and entered an alleyway. The foot passed lazily and harmless. Jr. soon turned the other way and walked down the alley in hopes of reaching another road. Instead, he found more demons crowded in a group, three guys, one girl, huddled around another. He moved cautiously, but soon got curious as to what they were doing.

"I put ten in. Hurry the hell up."

"Shut it, Adram! Damn, it's not like you're going anywhere."

"Gaap, you're broke so you don't have a say in the matter. Go, Kobal."

"I'm puttin'."

"Alright."

Dice rolled on the ground and out came a three-four-five. Kobal huffed as Adram swiped the money from the ground.

"Next sucker, ahaha!"

"I, uhhh, am gonna give twenty."

"Lilith, I said no bets over fifteen. You need to get a hold on that wasting crap."

"Sorry, fifteen then."

"Ugh, alright, fifteen, one-two-three this time."

The dice rolled once more and four-five-six was the result this time. Adram twitched his eye as Lilith slowly pulled the money from the pile.

"What was that about wasting?"

"Damn, Adram, didn't you just get that money? You burn through it quickly, don't you?"

Adram glared at Kobal, but all four demons soon fell into a hush as Jr. stood off to the side. All of a sudden, three of the four turn about and held out weapons as they sought to frighten the intruder of their game. The brothers clutched each other in fright as Jr. summoned his scythe and duck his body low.

"Guys, you can't trust anyone, can you? Geez, it's like a pack of wolves with you three."

Adram came out from the middle of the group and Jr. finally was able to notice how he looked. He actually looked human, but the teeth, or rather, jaws, he was sporting weren't exactly human. His red, spiky hair was at least half foot long and at the end of the tips were flames that were burning. His face was sharp and beneath his eyes looked as if there were supposed to be tattoos, but they were faint and hard to discern.

"Excuse my friends, they don't trust anyone, then again, in a demon town, who would?"

"No, it's cool, I guess."

"Meet my friends Lilith, Gaap, and Kobal."

Lilith dropped the spike ball hammer she was using, to which Jr. took notice was actually made of coins. She was very beautiful, but had a lazy way of moving. Her long hair was moving gold and her shining face was smooth, but seemed languid.

Gaap was brighter and his more prominent feature was the long fingers, holding onto the whip he produced, that stretched from his button up. His hair was flowing freely down his back behind a stern face.

Kobal was a big demon, and the muscles jutted from the muscle shirt he was wearing and the cut up jeans, down to his flip-flops. His gauntlet was actually straining from the bugle of his arm, just like the bulge of his cleanly shaven head.

They all looked more or less human and Jr. deemed them okay enough, but was hanging onto his scythe for reassurance.

"I'm Jr. and these two idiots are…? Actually, they keep telling me that I have to give them new names since I'm their new master or something, but for now, just call them the stooges minus one."

"Nice to meet you Jr. Apparently when you met these two, it wasn't on good terms, was it?"

"Please! I was trapped by their old master who decided he was gonna use my sis for some crazy idea."

"Didn't end to well for him, huh?"

"And that's why I'm here. I'm looking for my sister and apparently, she was kidnapped by this big demon guy that's using her energy or something, but it doesn't matter, I have got to hurry! C'mon, buffoons!"

Jr. and the gorillas were just about to haul ass, when Adram called out to them, making the group skid to a stop.

"Wait!"

"Yeah?"

"I know who you're looking for. I haven't seen your sister, but I know who has her."

"WHO!"

Adram looked disgusted as his demons came from behind.

"The demon general, Cthulu…"

_TLTS_

Jr. concentrated on the red-haired demon beside him as they walked down the lazy street. His group was behind them, walking along the gorillas' sides, putting in their thoughts as they went along.

"He's ruthless."

"He's trash and does what he pleases."

"For all I care, he could get stabbed."

Adram looked back at the trio and they grinned, wisely shutting up.

"He is the outer town of the Nergalings general. He controls us when he wants and makes sure he is always in power. He turned the town into a city and wishes to take over the Nergal realm…through the power of the great Nergal."

"My sister."

"Yes, since she has Nergal blood running within herself, he will use her as an unending power source. But…he will entertain himself as he sucks that power."

"W-wha…?" Junior swallowed thickly before beginning again. "What do you mean?"

"…He has this pedophilic fetish. He does both adults and children and only does the ones who fear him because he likes to monopolize them, likes the power. I…can only hope that we make it there before that."

Adram looked straight ahead as he spoke, so when Jr. stopped, he didn't take notice until he heard only his steps on his side. He looked back and blinked some. Jr. seemed to be shaking as the others crowded around him nervously.

"No one will touch my little sis…"

His voice…it wasn't his own. It sounded hazy and Adram felt a slight shiver run down his spine. The only thing he could see underneath the hood was a green eye. He could feel the power radiating from the boy's body, even as Jr. began to walk again, right past him. He didn't know who to be afraid for, Cthulu or himself?

_TLTS_

Adram pointed to the tower the group was standing before.

"This happens to be his domain, I guess. He came out in the front, on the stage, and summoned all the demons in the town. Some went, some didn't, but for those that did, he asked them to be a part of his army once he has enough strength and take over the Nergal realm. They agreed and then this greenish hue glowed over them.

"Physically, they didn't change, but I could feel their power grow stronger. I don't know how he's done this, but he's taken power from your sister and feeds his own."

Jr. looked at the tower and glared hard. He could feel her, but she wasn't in the building…she was somewhere below it. Her cries were now in his head and he wanted to stab himself in his chest to stop it.

"Alright, well, thanks, I guess. Hey, c'mon!"

The gorillas moved past the baffled demons, but Adram wasn't having Jr. just leave.

"What? Uh uh, we're coming with you! Right, guys?"

"Well…"

"Adram, we aren't as strong as Cthulu, not anymore. You felt that power he was withholding, yet you still want to risk fighting for some kid that we don't know about?"

"Kobal, when have you ever been such a pussy? C'mon, guys, what if he gets more power to rule the entire group of realms. He might even reach the princes… We can't let that just happen."

"Adram is right."

Gaap came from behind the two and stood beside his leader. He gestured to Jr.

"He needs our help with this, especially if he has to fight that beast. Ya know, strength in numbers and everything?"

"Gaap, what makes you believe that you won't die? What has your belief that none of you will make it out alive in this?"

"I..I don't, but I'd rather die trying to keep my freedom than become some soldier in that bastard's army. You know that's what he will do, don't you? He will force everyone to do what he wishes and all malicious and powerful demons will be forced to be a part of his chess board."

"You know what? GO ahead, get killed! When I see your mangled bodies strewn across his stage, don't expect sadness to come from me. C'mon, Lilith."

Lilith looked torn, but she was just afraid of the general as Kobal was. She wanted to help, but what did she have?

"Lilith!"

She ran for her giant bodied friend, wasteful in her abilities.

_TLTS_

Gaap looked at their retreating forms and shook his head. He turned to Adram and shrugged before walking up to Jr.

"Okay, little man, I hope you're ready for this. Cthulu will do anything he can to win and will make sure you never see your sister. He always has his guards at post and he will personally hold your sister captive."

Jr. looked unfazed and stared hard at the damnable building in front.

"Well, okay, guess that means we can go now."

Gaap and the gorillas began toward the tower, but Jr. turned to Adram before he could make his way as well.

"Why? Why do want to help me?"

"I guess, it's to make up for a life that I wasted till the lat minute, ya know?"

"What?"

"I actually used to be, I guess, alive, as part of an experiment for entities to have human lives."

Adram shook his head and snorted sarcastically.

"We weren't really alive. We just inhabited bodies of actual humans that lost their hearts, hearts that turned demonic themselves because of a powerful witch. We had the organs of humans minus one thing that made a human alive.

I was part of something very special, a specific group who controlled these beings, but one of my 'friends', who was also like me, defected. I 'died' when I helped his full human body, with a heart, escape capture from that organization. I returned back to the demon realm, but didn't go back to my father like he expected. I made sure I hid, so he won't ever find me."

Jr. was stunned. Who was this guy that had been through so much? He could see much pain in those eyes.

"Do you remember anything?"

"I remember only my name, besides why I was there and what happened. It was Axel…but you can all me Adram, short for Adramelech. _Got it memorized_?"

* * *

**Ehh, kinda don't like this chp, just more filler until they get her back, I guess. But I did want to introduce Adram. He is very important. Remember that. NO, dear god, no he isn't the second mate, cause some of you guys have weird thought processes and will think that.  
**

**Before I forget, Gaap, Lilith, Kobal, and Adramelech are all real demons and have meaning. Look it up.  
**

**Till next time, out.**


	10. No Mercy of Mine

_Rated T_

_Disclaimer: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

Grim and the royals began their march into the city after crossing the bridge. He didn't react to the sudden increase of the town or the towering skyscrapers, his interest in spotting, hopefully, a dark grey hood and sweatpants combo that his son wore. He could hear Jack's ooh's and aah's at the sight of the city.

"Come on, we must keep moving."

"Why don't we ask around, get information?"

Grim seemed to consider NJ's suggestion, but Mandy was already on the move to the nearest demon. Her demand for her children grew into impatience and she wasn't waiting for indecisiveness.

"You, have you seen a skeleton child walk this way with a dark grey hood?"

She had decided to pick a winged anthropomorphic demon with horns atop his head. His naked body, besides the cream coat and vest of a suit, was covered in red skin and his genitalia hung out in the open. Grim gagged.

"Nah, sorry, lady, but why would be searching for a skeleton boy when you should be searching for me."

Mandy raised a brow at his forwardness and Grim sighed as he realized this encounter would not lead them to Jr., nor end well for the ignorant demon before them.

"C'mon, let me give you what no other being, human or demon, can."

He made a grab for her, but didn't catch the glint in her eye. Grim, Jack, and NJ cringed as she ripped his arm from his bode and slapped his head with it. Impatience gave way to her normal rage.

She picked his writhing body up from the ground and smashed his face into the brick of the building they found him beside. He breathed quickly as she leaned in close.

"Have you seen a little girl with my blonde hair and in an old ballet outfit with a shoulder cover?"

"YES, I did! S-she was being carted through the street a little earlier this day. She was unconscious, b-but I know the men were Cthulu's soldiers! She should be at the tower at the end of the Dark Catalyst road!"

"Thank you and for some advice, try putting on some pants, no one wants see Vienna sausage on there way to work."

She dropped him and his horns and stalked, her rage calmed slightly by oulet. She had children to find and some flirty demon wasn't getting in her way, not enough for her damn time.

Grim came from behind apologetically.

"Sorry bout dat, de wife is a bit frisky."

Grim quickly repaired his arm before following after Mandy. NJ caught up with a snarl to the demon and Jack seemed to completely ignore him.

What a bunch of lunatics.

_TLTS_

Alocer prided himself on his power. He commanded 36 legions, 216,000 soldiers at his disposal, under Lord Cthulu's say so, and made sure he was as his name implied; lion knight and strong duke. So imagine his surprise as strolled down a corridor to find a company of two Ornias demons, the young King of Fire, and a demon he had not before known before a time as this, all behind a boy of bones and sweats. A slight change in the norm, as was the power distribution of his lord that had come suddenly after events unknown to himself.

"What is this?"

"Move, you're in the way, man!"

"Are you speaking to me? Me, Alocer, the lion duke of the Nergal realm?"

"I don't have time for this. Just move and you won't get hurt."

"Me, little boy? I should think not, as seeing I have the actual experience and you have no weapon."

Jr. growled low in his throat. His irritation was becoming palpable to those behind him, so their fear for the one in front was founded.

"I think you should get out of the way. I don't want to kill you, all I want is to get my sister back but if you so happen to be a part of the object in my way, you will die and I will not look behind me as your blood spills on the walls."

Alocer seemed a bit miffed at being called out by this young spit of a boy and the demonic lion within roared at the challenge of his authority. It was HE that should be feared, not him fearing. And if he spoke truthfully, those eyes in that hood made him more than apprehensive.

"I see. Do realize I am more than enough. And even if you do get by me somehow, my lord will most likely dispose of you and your band of misfits, especially some outcast creation of Wrath."

Adram bristled at the insult and his hair flared to life as if it were fire itself.

"Take that back you son of a bitch!"

"What will you do? You do not have power, that is why you are too ashamed to go back to your father."

"That bastard is not a father, nor man…"

"End the talk. I will only ask once more, move or die!"

Jr. stared Alocer down hard, who had taken on a more joking manner and pulled his sword from the sheath on his knight's armor. He smiled to the boy and called him out.

"Okay, young one. If you want to get past me so bad, I will make it easy for you. If you manage to get one cut off of me, I will move aside for both you and the rest of your party. But if you can't, then I dispose of each and every one of you with a slice to the neck."

Jr. let his head loll around his neck before looking down and answering.

"Okay."

He would have heard protests from his companions had Alocer not come when he did. What happened next left them speechless.

Alocer moved fast for a cat man in suit of iron and metal, his face wrought with shear bestiality and wildness that left behind the gentleman they had been facing. His sword above his head, he was aiming for a straight cut down from Jr.'s temple to his pelvis.

Jr. dashed quickly behind him and from the back, summoned his scythe in mid swing as he arced a 180 from right to left. Alocer came down screaming in pain, his legs flying to the feet of Adram. Everyone, but the combatants looked down in awe.

Jr. slowly walked up to the down duke and rung him up form the floor by his exposed fur. He leaned in close to the demon's ear before he whispered the words that sealed Alocer's fate.

"Didn't I say move?"

Jr. leaped back and cut Alocer's head from his shoulder's, his scythe not dripping from blood at the speed Jr. had made with it.

Jr. didn't lose a step as he turned and began jogging away, calling back to the still stuck stupid demons in his group.

"Come on! I have a mate to save…"

He said the last part mostly to himself as he set his face, determined.

* * *

**That's it for now.**


	11. Taking Back What Is Mine

_Rated T_

_Disclaimer: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

Aram, to say the least, was astounded. That little display of brutality was one he hadn't seen since the Seven…But what he was more worried about was Jr. This kid was much more than destructive when someone was in the way, but it was as if something was controlling him. Her powers continued to increase with every step. And as they began to encounter soldiers of Alocer's legion, it was clear he got worse and worse.

At first, it was just two foot soldiers. Jr. paid them no mind as he ran past. Just as Adram lit his fire, steel came from the chest of one soldier and the other had his sword stolen before it was plunged into his gut. Jr. turned around once again for the search. Adram flicked his flames off and ran after the boy. They encountered at least five more, Jr. quickly disposing of them and not giving any moment of rest as e began jogging away again.

They checked each room, some ranging from cubicles that were people-less to rooms with surgical tables and items on a steel desks. None of them had any leads, but Jr. said they should just try and find an elevator or stairs. They needed to get down to the basement.

They came to another hall and the group behind Jr. sighed.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"Hey, look, I don't know ho we're gonna get down there, but we have to find some way. It's not like I knew how to navigate in this godforsaken building."

"Jr., you have to figure it out. We aren't finding Minnie any faster by just wandering aimlessly."

"Adram I know tha…you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That humming sound, I think from one of the rooms."

Jr. walked over to the nearest room and opened it. It was like any other, useless room, actually just a janitor's closet. But once Jr. closed the door, the humming began again, right behind the door. Jr. opened it again and instead of a closet, it was a large window hall. Jr. stepped back slowly, but didn't let go of door, in fear of it closing on him.

"The rooms, they change."

"What? Are you serious!"

"Forget about it, let's just go."

Jr. entered the room, and the rest filed in before the door closed harmlessly. Than clanking began filling the room. Adram looked down at Jr. accusingly, who looked back sheepishly.

_TLTS_

The Royals made their way down the street. Many demons moved out of their way once they caught Mandy's glare. They moved down and over walks, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Dark Catalyst road. But soon their search was cut short when demons began to crowd over them, moving them with force.

"What da fook is happening?"

"You're asking like we know?"

The Royals were carted down the streets, but Jack was perceptive enough to catch the sign of Dark Catalyst road.

"Hey, we're making it down to the tower!"

"Well, dis is one way of getting dere."

The demons began to fill down and dispersed off into sections. The Royals quickly darted away from sight, lest they interrupt this meeting. NJ looked up to the risen platform and podium.

"There."

He whispered and sighted the dark-skinned man that favored an Indian. His eyes, however, were an unholy green. Grim and Mandy growled simultaneously.

"Cthulu."

"My soldiers! I have gained more power that I will be able to share with you! I am happy that many are loyal and have come back to me. Let me give you your gift for such perseverance."

Soon, a surge of energy entered the air and the inhabitants of the street began to grow with power. That is, until a crash form the building window brought everyone's attention. Grim and the others turned their attentions fro, the platform to the tower, behind their pillars.

All the demons gaped at the battle with in the tower.

_TLTS_

Jr. cut another demon and ducked a blow from an axe. Adram was flicking his hands and waving out the flames from his palms, smirking the entire time. Gaap flashed his whip onto a neck and pulled hard, bringing the offender down and those around him as well. The Ornias demons threw their arms out, bashing any soldier that came their way. It was a free for all.

"I can't believe they ambushed us!"

Jr. hit his back against Adram's.

"You were the one that just ran into here without thinking about it!"

He flamed another, the screams almost drowning out their conversation. Jr. sliced one's arm and kicked him back. One was coming at his side, but entered another realm just as he got near the child. Jr. closed the portal back up and looked back around for any others.

"How many more do you think we'll have to kill?"

"See how big this building is?"

Jr. thought about it then groaned. "DAMNIT!"

The two sped off each other and slammed into other groups. It soon became clear it was sea that may never end. Jr. sighed as he jumped back from another slice. Gaap whipped the one in front of him, his neck hanging on the whip before Gaap threw him out, and came beside him.

"We need to close off that door."

"What?"

"The door, remember, it changes rooms after they close."

Jr.'s head shot up and ran with abandon toward the door they were heading out of. He cut and jumped over heads before making his way over to the slammed door. He called over to Adram.

"Hey, come help me with this!"

Adram looked back and yelled over the couple of demons in his way.

"What you want me to do?"

"Burn these guys in front of the door!"

Adram grinned happily. He raised his hands above his head and spread them out before clapsing them together. Just about every demon in his way was engulfed in flames, right down to the dorr the demons were filling out of. Jr. quickly closed the door, sweeping over charred remains and sighing at the clicking. He turned around just in time to catch a demon trying to hack at him and jammed his scythe into his head before he came down with it.

Soon, they just began killing off the rest in their way, flaming, cutting, and choking their now helpless opponents.

Jr. huffed his breath and turned to the door. He cautiously opened it a little and looked inside. Apparently, this lead to stairs. How convenient?

"I think this is the way guys."

"Really, good, cause I really don't think I can deal with anymore surprises as of right now.

_TLTS_

Cthulu looked up in the window and saw the group make their way into the stairwell. He was alarmed and angry as he realized they were after the girl.

"Cthulu!"

He turned and saw the King and Queen of the Underworld. Not exactly welcome guests. He grinned maniacally and addressed the demons in the streets.

"My soldiers! I have invaders trying to take back the power I have been providing for you! I cannot give anymore until you dispose of them for me!"

He quickly turned and jumped off the platform, running into the building. Grim and the others ran after quickly, trying to get to the door before it closed. Instead, Mandy opened it just as they made it there. She creamed angrily, before the sound of enraged yelling came to everyone's ears. They turned and saw the mob making to them as if they were going to kill the. Scratch that, they were going to kill them.

Mandy unhooked her walkie from her belt and spoke into it.

"Pain, I need guns and bring the Skeletons."

"Yes, Master, on my way."

"Hurry!"

She clicked it off and turned to the others.

"We have at least twenty minutes of holding them off before Pain and the others can get here."

"Damn dat tentacle freak."

"I don't he's the one we have to worry about as of right now."

Jack pointed to the approaching crowd before the electrical surge surrounded his hands. Everyone readied themselves for the impending rush of enemies.

* * *

**Yep, just making updates.**


	12. Mine Comfort

_Rated T_

_Disclaimer: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

Jr. could feel the air begin to become heavier, invisible humidity drenching the oxygen. He felt his bones begin to condensate, but his focus was on something of much more value than himself. Minnie's scent began permeating his surroundings.

His group was descending the stairs, but they got slower with each pace and it was hard to press them further. They knew not his drive for his mate, so he couldn't blame them for wanting a rest, the gorillas voicing their want especially.

"Master, we gotta take a break."

"I think the heat is melting my brain."

"We have to keep moving. That bastard had to have heard us and I don't want to take any chances with him trying to move Minnie. I don't want him to have any time to get to the basement before we do."

Truthfully, Jr. was afraid. He kept thinking back to the Pumpkinator incident, the first one where he saw his little sister torn in the most horrifying way. The look on her face, the hopelessness that would shatter his heart in her beautiful stormy eyes, her hand reaching for him in desperation. He couldn't let it happen again, he wouldn't! He'd kill himself before he allowed her to experience that pain again.

So when Adram took it upon himself to try to talk reason to him, gently grabbing hold of his shoulder, his first instinct was certain to happen.

"Jr-"

"GET OFF OF ME!"

Adram snatched his hand back, his fear of the boy growing as was his curiosity. Why was this so important? Sure, he also was afraid of what Cthulu would do if they didn't get there in time, but he was the only one who caught sight of the wretch on the platform outside while the demons horded them in the corridor. He would have no time to get her to another room if they made it to the basement just as he did.

"Calm down. Cthulu has to get to the basement like us as well, I saw him outside of the building when we were fighting the demons."

"Adram, you don't get it! My sister is probably hurt and most likely in scared! She needs me!"

"And we will get to her, but you must calm yourself or you're not gunna be able to beat Cthulu. You need to have a clear mind and that won't happen until you let go of whatever is troubling you."

"I-I."

"Tell us. Why are you so afraid? Why don't you think your sis'll make it?"

Jr. looked down, his body gone still for the moment. Then, wordlessly, he turned and began to start for the basement again. Adram sighed while pshing a hand through his hair as they all continued down the stairs.

"Jr.-"

"She needed me once before…and she died because of it."

Adram blinked his eyes and looked at Jr's form in confusion.

"She protected me from getting killed, but instead of thanking her like I should have, I yelled at her for saving me. I didn't know how exactly the way she got demon powers, but I was mad at her anyway, taking the anger at my own uselessness out on her.

When she was fighting the guy who had kidnapped me, she was so focused on getting me back; she was so cool and so concentrated that she only came out of the fight with a scratch. I can't even get into a fist fight without a couple of cracked ribs.

But the moment I turned away from her, she didn't notice how she was in danger. It's MY fault that the robot ripped her body apart. And what's worse? The only thing I did was watch in a corner, shaking like a pussy, as she cried out to me, begging for my help. Now that I have the power to protect her, I'm not going to let her get hurt anymore. I was able to save her once, but I may not get another chance like it again. I will always make sure she is happy and safe, away from any threat, even if my life has to be taken instead."

Adram shook his head. This boy had seen much more than any twelve year old should ever have to see and now, he had to save what was important to him. But he was going about the aftermath all wrong.

"Jr….you're going about this all wrong. Yes, I can see you've made a mistake, you've let envy cloud your heart where only love should be, but…but you can't go superbrother just because you made a wrong choice. You didn't know it would happen and neither could she. Yes, you have the power to protect her, but you can't have her caged up.

The power to protect doesn't mean you can lord over someone, it means you have the ability to keep someone safe. If you meet with something that may be able to harm her, just beat its ass. Trust me, if you just make her stay away from life that's going to happen, then she will hate you for it. But you face life beside her, then she will love you forever. You will be her best friend and a great brother."

Jr. momentarily faltered from the steps, when he suddenly came to a stop as they reached the end.

"We're here."

They only waited a moment, their breaths heard in the echoing corridor. Then, without stopping, Jr. kicked the door down.

_TLTS_

Mandy and the rest were holding their own, but realized the amount of demons weren't stopping. They would knock some back, kill a bit, but they would come back to life in a matter of seconds.

"Thos guns really need to get here, Mandy!"

"Shut it, Grim! I called and I made them come as fast as they can. If not, they know the consequence."

She dodged another fist and dug her sharp nails into the belly of the beast before her. Jack was alternating between torching, freezing, and electrocuting the shit out of each opponent and for those who decided they wouldn't give up even after that were met with his skeletal form that could bob and weave any attack and counter with a more than capable beat down of its own.

NJ had taken to cutting with the sword he had produced and blowing others away with the demonic shotty he held in his other hand. He was back with Grim, who was making excellent use of his scythe. Instead of shooting them with supernatural powers within, he was having his body also become a weapon of its own, cutting a slicing with expertise at the writhing mass in front of them.

Despite all of this, fatigue was beginning to get to them, and Mandy began to see mistakes in their forms. They couldn't keep this up for long or they would be overrun.

"PAIN! Where the fuck are you?"

The talkie held naught, but static and she cursed heavily as she barely dodged another claw. But soon, the ground began to quake. The demons on the outside of the large crowd began to scream in pain.

Mandy jumped onto the back of one ogre and stuck her hand into his skull, incapacitating the bastard for a moment to see if the had even more trouble. What showed instead, was a very much needed cavalry.

"Defend the Mistress!"

_TLTS_

Jr. and the gang ran into the basement. Oddly enough, the entire place was pretty empty with only a couple of boxes. Gaap looked around and scratched his head.

"So, uh, yeah, does anyone know where we're supposed to go?"

Jr. let her scent engulf him. He licked his lips, anticipating that kiss that would be waiting for him once this was over. He barely motioned for them to follow him.

"She's to our left."

He ran to the giant box on the left steel wall. He summoned his scythe and cut a large whole to fit everyone's height. He pushed through and stepped inside, everyone going in after him.

The moment he entered the box, it was clear it was just to hide the cave that was leading into darkness. But that's not what made him come still. It was the smell of tears. He snarled and sped up his pace.

_TLTS_

Minnie willed her eyes to open. Her body was in much fatigue and she couldn't hold herself up. He had come back again and sucked more power out of her. She just wanted to go home.

Wait, what was that sound? It was a snarl, one of much anger. She hoped it wasn't the entity hat had kidnapped her. He had been very jovial and had yet to show his anger. She hoped he didn't take it out on her. The scent came into her range and hesitantly took a sniff should it be-

"The hidden love of mine Mother, my brother lies in that scent! JR!"

Soon, she could her hurried footfalls and she struggled against her bonds. She wanted to be able to hold him and be held once he got in.

"MINNIE!"

The door was smashed open and revealed her mate, his face shown complete relief at seeing her. He ran to her as if pulled by an entity.

"Mine brother, mine joy as to seeing you has this situation more bearable."

"…Minnie, why are you half naked?"

"The monster that had captured me left me bare of my clothes. Alas, I am in flesh under this thing."

Jr. didn't waste time and jumped in the air, slicing through the tentacles so fast, he dropped to the floor before the cut actually made it through the wriggling mass. Minnie fell with a yelp to the fleshy ground naked, but Jr. quickly gave up his hoodie, albeit, blushing and transformed himself into his human form so he didn't have everyone staring at his bones and Nergal innards. He turned back to Minnie and lowered the lids of his eyes. Minnie took the hint and closed her eyes, anxiously awaiting the kiss of her mate. He pulled her into him, more than ready…

"Jr.!"

The Black siblings shot away from each other and Jr. growled at the interruption, but waved the rest of the group over to them.

"Hey, everyone, this is my little sis, MiniMandy Black."

"Nice ta meetcha, baby girl."

Adram winked at her, and the rest waved their heys. Jr. crouched to her and slipped his arms around her body.

"Why don't we get you out of here?"

"That's if you get past me, little boy."

Everyone turned to face the cinnamon-skinned humanoid at the entrance of the room who was smiling sadistically. Jr. glared in hatred at the man before him.

"Hey, monkeys."

"Yes, master?"

"Protect my sister."

Jr. let Minnie slid into the giant hands of the Ornia demon and turned. Adram had lit his flame and Gaap slipped the whip out of its hold. Jr. summoned his scythe and he faced the grinning demon ahead.

"You're gonna die. Very painfully."

Jr. cracked his neck and smiled hatefully, beckoning his hand out. Finally, THIS WAS IT!

* * *

**What's up? I ain't got much to say, so, you know, review and all that jazz.**


	13. Unyielding Rage of Mine

_Rated T_

_This cp is dedicated to fallout-boy97, who wanted to especially know about the story. Yes, man, this battle scene's yours._

_Everyone just loves this story. Shout outs to nightmaster000, Iloveinvaderzim-billyandmandy, mint ink, Blood Brandy, xChibiBeex, truemasterhaseo, gamerzaddiction, and just about everyone else that has been watching this story and loving it so much that they just had to write a review for it. Thanks peep!_

_Disclaimer: Bleedman to rights of GTFDB_

* * *

"Pain, guns, NOW!"

Mandy caught the thrown automatic and shotty from her head knight and stuck the shotgun right in the mouth of the demon coming straight for her.

"You want some? Come get it."

She pulled the trigger, splattering dark red across the building roof. She turned and let loose the bullets from the auto and kicked the legs of the entity behind her. She pointed down and shot him, blood flying onto her face. She slowly closed her eyes in bliss, breathing in deeply. She turned around and faced the rest of the bastards coming at her and smiled. Death had nothing this particular woman's brutality.

"Who's next in line?"

_TLTS_

"What makes you think you can leave this place unscathed?"

Jr. shook his head as the green aura Adram saw earlier seeped out of his pores in gallons, permeating the air around him, up to the scythe he was holding.

"Jr., hey, man calm down."

Jr.'s eyes opened slowly, a growl beginning in his chest and working its way out loudly, his now-fangs clenched together. His body rippled in power and he stared Cthulhu down in hate. Gaap's eyes lit up in interest.

"I just went through this…my sister at a crosshair away from death and here you come along, thinking that you can just take her from me. I will say this, but once. MINNIE IS MINE!"

Jr. sped across the room, his scythe held behind him and he swiped. Cthulhu jumped back from the attack and landed slowly on the wall, upright as if he were on the ground. He chuckled as he loosened his tie.

"Little boy, you may think she's yours, but I will put it to you like this. If I've had it even once, it means it belongs to me and only me. I don't care if the power was once someone else's, or if the female is already mated. I take what I want, when I want and no one will defy me."

"Fuck you! We'll see if you can say that after I rip your damned head off."

"Come at me, then!"

Cthulhu raised his arms, his hands in an outward motion, and tentacles shot out from the wall, coming for Jr. and the rest of his group. Adram jumped back as Gaap rolled away. Jr. ran straight ahead, cutting the tentacles oozing yellow slime from the opened wounds. Jr. sliced at Cthulhu, who disappeared into a black portal underneath his feet.

"Get back here, you sonuvabitch!"

Jr. flipped off the wall, landing on the fleshy ground. Tentacles shot out from the ground, grabbing Jr.'s feet. Jr. let his scythe seep acid from the blade. The acid dropped onto the handless appendages, shocking them back into the ground. He growled in rage at the evasiveness of the cream colored suited demon.

Gaap snapped a whip against the reaching arm out for him. He flipped over it and stuck his foot onto before snapping his whip out, cutting the tentacle in half. He caught the others coming at him in speed, bunched up like weeds and pulled, drawing them out of the ground. He smirked at the sound of the breaking of the skin on the arms.

"You went the wrong way coming after me."

Adram lit his area in flames, smirking as the tentacles flew away. He turned the heat up and shot a fireball from his hands to a mounting bunch of others. His fingers began to burn and he let out a stream of fire into the ground. The flesh around him began to turn black.

"C'mon! Feel the burn, baby!"

Jr. slid to the side, cutting the tentacle that came from underneath him. He turned away in disinterest and looked for Cthulhu.

"Where are you?"

"Right here, boy."

Jr. twisted around deftly, slicing through thin air. Cthulhu laughed within the room, echoing around the enclosed space.

Cthulhu appeared at the door, smirking at Jr. Boy Death ran to him, his scythe hung above his head to arc across the demon's bulk. Cthulhu twisted to the side, his hand to his side before he swiped at Jr. Jr. didn't have enough time to jump away and his skin was cut, green glowing blood oozing from the large slice.

Cthulhu cracked his knuckles and tossed his hands out in arrogance. Jr. growled as his skin healed immediately, his ire, palpable in the air.

"I will kill you," Cthulhu called out, "I will make you bleed down your sides and beg for the mercy that will never come to you. Your sister will watch in horror as your head rolls from your neck and scream in anguish." Cthulhu laughed manically at the threat, his head lolling to the sides before he ran at Jr. once again.

He made a slash at which Jr. sidestepped and countered with a slash at the middle. Cthulhu moved back and thrusted his hands out to try and catch Jr. in the chest. Jr. used the space in between the handle of his scythe and body to catch tall entity's left arm and twisted back and pulled, throwing Cthulhu over his body. Jr. skidded back when Cthulhu threw out a tentacle for his head.

Cthulhu bounced off his back with the momentum of his legs, landing on his feet. Jr. jumped into the air, weaving his blade into the air for the General's head. Cthulhu stepped back, but didn't count the kick that came next when Jr. was able to twist his body around. His head shot back, light exploding in his eyes before his view came back into focus.

"C'mon! You want my head, right?"

Jr. dashed for his adversary, but Cthulhu simply smacked him across his face, Jr. not readying his weapon in time for the block. Jr. felt the blood trickle from his mouth, and he let his tongue snake out, dabbing it against his chin. He wiped it and growled.

"So it's hands on that you want…"

He let his Nergalian claws tear threw his skin, his scythe left standing on the floor. His back shuddered when his tail sprouted from the end of his spine, the segmented line leading to the sharp knife. The soles of his shoes glowed with the signature Nergal light, Jr. bouncing on the balls of his feet ever so lightly. He closed his eye and breathed before he smirked, his eyes shooting open in emerald flash.

"I will give it to you."

He sprinted toward the demon, his feet gouging into the ground and he launched himself at Cthulhu with speed and ferocity only those of Nergal blood were capable. He snapped his tail against Cthulhu's chest, ripping the tailored suit and cutting into pepper colored skin. Cthulhu smacked another hand out to Jr., but Jr. was already flipping away by the time he was able to turn his body.

Cthulhu flicked his hands, sending tentacles from the floor in hopes of catching prey in either one of the suctions, but Jr. moved as if possessed by the notion of catching his prey, his body moving fast enough that his image stayed in the spot he had been in only a minute ago. He was in front of the demon general before either of them could blink.

Jr. grasped his claws around his neck, bringing them both to the ground and he snarled into the demon's face. His other hand snagged Cthulhu's right hand, his tail coming up for the left and finally he was prostrate on the ground before the Prince of the Underworld. Cthulhu struggled for his breath, his back wiggling as he tried to escape Jr.'s capture.

"You don't have enough time to teleport before I gut you and watch as your eyes roll into your fucking head, you son of a bitch! I can't wait to bathe in your blood."

"Jr.!"

Jr. gestured his head towards Adram, but didn't take his eyes off the spawn. His hands clenched harder, his growing muscles straining in his skin. Cthulhu chuckled whatever breath he had at the moment and moved his head towards Adram's direction, his face twisting into a smirk.

"You may be able to come after me, but that doesn't save your friends."

His head twitched and the flesh of the room shot worms out, the heads splitting open to a mouth filled to the brim with serrated daggers for teeth. Adram shot fire from his palm, filling the first mouth that came toward him with red orange flames, cooking the worm from the inside out. The worm retreated back into the hole it sprouted from. Adram sprung fire from his hands to surround him in a circle. He smirked as the worms began to fill around him and he spun on his toes, throwing the circle out and crisping the worms, the burns traveling down to end at pink segments that were closer to the ground.

The burnt ends fell from the segments, but the segments didn't retract like the one he had burned initially. Instead, the segments rose from the ground and began to quake before a mouth grew from the burns and growled with drool falling from the teeth. Adram sighed as he readied his hands, fire flickering from his fingertips. He sent whips towards them, yelling his battle cry as he attacked.

Gaap cracked his whip every second, cutting into the mouths of the worms coming for him when they rose from the ground. Pus-colored blood oozed from the heads, but they never stopped coming. It was when a giant one rose from the ground he had to move, wrapping his whip onto the head and cutting straight through before it could make a meal of his body.

He spun around and once again wrapped his whip across the head of the worm that had jumped from the ground into the air after him. He spun once before he let it fly into the wall, sliding down to the ground. He laughed as he did this two more times, sending his fott into the head of another before slicing the head with the tightened leather and iron of his whip. He snatched it back quickly before he turned, sending his demonic powers into his whip for it to straighten into a sword, cutting another in half as it came for him. The blood spurted around him.

"And let it rain!"

Minnie let herself play the damsel in distress staying behind the Ornia demons as she watched her brother battle her kidnapper. She didn't move mainly due to the factor that she only had a sweater to hide her nudity. But she realized the Ornia demons were tiring quickly, not able to fight an enemy that was able to move with faster agilities than theirs. She turned to her brother and called out to him.

"Bother, thou must cease the demon's ability to control the room."

"How the hell do you expect me to do that?"

Minnie found herself stumped as she tried to figure how he was being able to use the room to his advantage. He could sprout tentacles from the floor, create worms from the flesh. What was so special about this room?

She looked down at the ground. It moved, contracting in tendrils and she moved her hands across it, marveling at the feel of actual skin. She tilted her head and snapped her head up so hard, she could have broke it.

"Brother! This room is naught, but flesh! The flesh of the fiend!"

"Stopping talking cryptically, please!"

"Destroy the flesh, destroy the fiend."

Jr. looked down at Cthulhu's pasty face and clenched his hand, looking around the room as he actually, saw the flesh on the walls, the floors, the ceiling as it twitched and moved in place, its skin a cinnamon brown. He glanced down, his eyes looking at the skin beside the demon's head. Cthulhu's skin!

"Adram!"

"Buddy, I'm a little busy as of right now, can it wait?"

"Burn the room!"

"What?"

Jr. jumped away as Cthulhu threw his weight up. Jr. dodged away as the worms began to snap at him, making his way to his scythe and then to Adram.

"You have to burn the entire room; the room is his skin, his body really! All you have to do is burn the entire place to a crisp and he'll burn too."

"What about you? If I do, I'll catch you and the rest."

"I'll set up a shield around us, protect us from the burns. Just do it!"

"Alright!"

"I'll yell to you when I'm ready."

Jr. sprinted over to his sister and the rest, the gorillas huffing their exhaustion. He cut through the remaining worms, skidding to stop beside his mate.

"Minnie, I'm gonna create a shield, you need to get behind me. Hey, dumbasses, get over here if you don't want to get burnt! Gaap!"

"I'm alright over here, I'll take the heat!"

"Adram," Jr. called over to his red haired friend.

"Adram smirked and crossed his hands, screaming, "Fire in the hole!", and with that, he spread his arms out, fire exploding from the ground in fiery energy and power. The flames swirled around him in a plume of raging heat. When he spread his arms wider, he laughed as the fire burst outward, scalding the room in a nova of the red orange air eater.

Gaap turned just in time to thrust his whip sword into the wall of inferno, his face grinning as he broke the wave around him. His face flashed with white hair as he clenched his muscles, his eyes changing color as he held his own against Adramalech's blaze.

Jr. cut a rip into the universe, the fire flying to the portal and out into another dimension of space. He marveled at the flames around him, his sister leaning on his leg with her hand wrapped around it. He held his scythe steady on the ground. If he so much as twitched it, the portal would fade and the flames would eat them whole. He'd survive, his bones would just move from the force. His mate wouldn't.

For the group, it was like an eternity, but actually only lasted a couple of minutes as the flesh on the ground began to move and Jr. knew he would have to move so he didn't fall on his ass. He called out to Adram, but the flesh had already moved around him and Adram tripped, the nova stopping.

Jr. looked to where he had last left Cthulhu and saw the demon sucking in the burnt flesh within his body, his body beginning to bulge out as if he was being filled with fat. His once built body was overbearing with the flesh right into his back, his chin getting lost in meat, rolls upon rolls stacking on his abs, legs, chest, arms, all until he was just a blob of brownish skin, heaving breaths as if it were taxing enough to strain him.

Jr. saw Gaap, clutching the whip straight down. He was heaving breathes, but seemed to be okay enough. Adram was on the ground, clutching his head and blowing flames from his mouth. He turned around, looking past his angel of a sister to the Ornia demons and almost laughed. Their hairs were singed at the sides, making them look like giant alley cats, their hairs sticking out from all over the place.

He turned to the being of fat that Cthulhu now was and walked straight over to him, his anger growing. It was unfair that this prick thought to take what was his. Hadn't he been through enough? Didn't she deserve a break from his own punishment?

He watched her die once, her eyes glazing over in fear and pain. He never wanted to see that look on her face again, but fate just had to throw him a curveball and he had to get her back from a merciless Archangel, flamboyant demon with his agendas to take over the entire universe from Earth to Hell and used Minnie as bait to draw him in, and then the entity of Nergal that had once inhabited her, now inhabiting himself. He met friends he hoped to meet again, people who still needed his help…With him changing the fates of his sister, he didn't know what would happen next. All he knew was that his sister was the most important being in his world and he would do anything to make sure she was safe and happy.

But even with them as mates, he still made mistakes, putting her in danger and sending her to bastards better left dead. What kind of mate was that?

"I'm sorry, Minnie."

His mate looked up to him in confusion, but no less adoration than to what she shown him since she could speak. He didn't deserve it and he swore he would try everyday to make himself more worthy. But alas, he was her brother, no one was good enough.

"Brother, thou have saved us through ingenuity and have brought me back from the brink of enslavement. Thou art my loving mate and I would give mine trust in thee ten times over."

Jr. sighed as he cupped her in face in his hand and she nuzzled into his hand. His rage grew as did his sadness. She didn't deserve what happened to her just because he was an idiot and didn't know how good he had it. She didn't deserve to be kidnapped, didn't deserve to be put on display…didn't deserve the pain he brought upon her through his inactions. His hand trembled, angry with himself, angry with those coming for him because of his powers, angry for them using Minnie as bait again and again.

He focused on putting that rage into good use and he faced Cthulhu. He dragged his scythe on the ground, the blade dragging on the now rock laden floor, the room now a cave. Cthulhu was helpless and he was going to make sure he mounted that head on a wall.

"Just like the others, except this time, you actually were after Minnie. It was bad enough when you all target her to get at me, but it just got real when you dumbasses think to take her to use."

"B-boy, I, huh, am gunna take your sister again. Ahh, it's only a matter of time really. Nothin, kuh-can keep me from thu-that powuh."

Jr. smirked, his malice growing as did his sadist.

"Not if you're dead by then."

Cthulhu began to sweat, his eyes wide as he tried to struggle away, his body getting absolutely nowhere. Jr. laughed as he circled his prey. His fangs grew out of his teeth as he grinned manically.

"I can't wait to see your head roll once my scythe slices right into that fat you call a neck. Your blood will spill onto the ground as I cut threw your body again and again, my blade coated in a thick layer of your blood!"

Jr. cackled gleefully as he brought his scythe round. His mind turmoiled, spinning round an round with anger and wretchedness. He lost himself in the haze of the temptation of Cthulhu dying horridly.

One second.

"_She deserves a better friend!_

Two seconds.

"_She deserves a better brother!"_

Three seconds.

'_SHE DESERVES A BETTER MATE!"_

"Jr.!"

He was an inch into Cthulhu's neck before her hands closed around his hands and felt the anger waning. Her breath was on his neck as she pressed into him, trying to use the clenching of his muscles to cut across Cthulhu's head.

"You must not let the Nergal within consume thee. Contain it and let it out in a different way than anger or thou will not be the same as once before."

He let her slide her hand over his hand, taking hold of his scythe and away as he began to feel his shoulders droop slightly.

He let her take it and turned, taking a breath. His sister was depending on him not to completely freak out and here he was about to go off the deep end. It was bad enough with the knights from the building had all ended under his steel. His demonic energy had rebounded in his skull over and over and he gave way so he could get to his sister. Good cause, but the worst way to do so.

SLICE!

His head actually broke with how fast he turned snapped his head to his sister. Blood dripped from his scythe, Cthulhu's head slowly sliding from his neck as he saw his sister contorting her body to the side. He blinked rapidly in secession as he looked back and forth between the blade, his sister, and Cthulhu's now felled body.

"Um, Mins?"

Minnie turned toward him, her face complete in innocence, her lips pursed as glanced to him. She blushed.

"Brother, I wish you not to be consumed in the demons within myself."

"So you killed him instead?"

"The maxim as is said, I am my mother's daughter."

He smirked and turned to everyone else. Adram looked ill, Gaap raised a brow, and the Ornia demons edged toward each other slowly. He chuckled as Minnie bowed her head in embarrassment.

"She can't help herself. It's hereditary. C'mon, we got Minnie; let's get out of here before something else happens."

Jr. took his scythe from his cherry red sister and clutched her hand to his as they walked out the room. The rest followed the Black siblings warily.

_TLTS_

The room was flickering with a demonic red as it glowed over the body. Blood sputtered as if coughing itself out before it became sticky into a wet gelatinous form, plastering itself over the dirt to the other source of red gel, moving with a mind of its own.

The object rolled slightly as the blood came in contact before it dragged back to the body, reattaching. The head glowed with a unholy amber color in its eyes and the slice made of the neck sealed before the entity began to grow to giant proportions, cracking the interior with its growth.

As the claws began scratched the walls to get out, it knew what's focus was, what was looking for, and how much rage it should put into getting it back. It roared in ferocity as it broke out of its cage, ready to take back what belonged to it.

* * *

**Sorry for the late updated, school getting back into focus, but then again, no excuse. I hope the extra long chp makes up for it and if not, well, don't care. No, seriously, I got it in, that's what matters, right?**

**Till next time, Animaster/Doragoon out.**


	14. This Road of Mine to Take

_This is no where near the end of this story, I'm just getting started. I can't wait to get to the things I have in store. I just hope I can borrow Kryalla Orchid's hammer and be able to use it perfectly. Teen Titans fans, you must go read this girl, she is an addictive one and I can't stop reading her, but I digress. So, where were we? Ohh yeah, Jr. and the gang getting the hell out of dodge._

_Disclaimer: All characters are in no way shape or form a declaration of owning and are used with the knowledge of each characters respective owners and said copyrights. If anything, they own me, but we won't get into that right now._

* * *

Mandy shot quickly in rapid succession against the many demons coming for her, twisting and contorting her body for the best method in shooting them, making them immobilized. It didn't matter, her army was cleaning house, taking them down and making a path towards her. Mandy switched to holy bullets. She had them issued soon after the beginning of her reign.

She jumped back and aimed before letting ten rounds into the two demons in front of her, two through the kneecaps, on in the sternum, and four repeats in the head, all fewer than five seconds. Grim came up behind her, his face in mild distaste as he had to step over dead demons.

"You watch too much Equilibrium, messin wit ya head, hon."

"You say too much, I say not enough. I could have easily killed them with six if I instead shot through the eyes. Just showing off."

"Yea yea, so when are we goin get ta savin Jr. and Minnie."

"If anything, those two will be coming up to greet us actually. Give it a moment. PAIN!"

"Yes, my lady."

Pain handed her cigarette and lighter before snapping his fingers for one of the soldiers to come behind him with a towel, who began to clean the blood from Mandy's outfit. If there was a perk to being Queen, it was that she didn't stay dirty. Oh, and the rules of death, disease, or anything for that matter didn't exactly apply to her. NJ came up behind the two, Jack in tow, his face in confusion.

"Shouldn't we be getting back to the kids now?"

"They're coming. Cthulhu isn't much of a threat, especially with all that Jr. knows."

NJ shrugged, not all that concerned. He saw Jr. throwing down in the hallway, so he wasn't afraid for his daughter too much. Still, it was the principality of the situation he had to take into account. His daughter was captive and he should be worried.

"Still, shouldn't we check, or at least send someone in-!"

"Christ, Grim will you please go get our kids before the big baby has a fucking heart attack!"

Grim grumbled at NJ, but opened a portal into the building still.

_TLTS_

Jr. and Minnie walked close, more so than Adram that possible. If they tried to move any closer, they would become one entity. Something was up with these two and he didn't think it was so much as sibling love. His inner thoughts were completely pushed back when a large hole in the center of the room they were walking came into view.

"Oh, father is coming."

Jr. nodded, stopping everyone with a wave of his hand. Grim walked through and sighed. Then got real angry.

"Boy, whot da hell did ya dink you were doin! Jumpin through a portal will-nilly. I ought ta debone ya fer yer mom's stew! And takin yer sister wit ya was even worse, putting her in complete danger!"

"I'm sorry dad, I wasn't thinking."

"Damn right ya weren't! You bettah hope ya mom don't care about dis as much as I do."

Jr., Minnie, and Grim all visibly shivered. Grim was the first to recover.

"But I understand. Protect da one ya love da most nd all dat jazz. But you should keep yer mate from danger, not put her in more."

"AHHA, I knew there was something else going on here. You two are way too close to be siblings. Or at least regular ones."

Grim raised a boney brow at the fire-headed demon. He pointed slowly, his face contorting in confusion.

"Hmmm, you remind me ah someone. Someone very familiar, I just can put me finger on it…"

Adram looked up, taking a closer look at Grim before popping his eyes out, realizing at the same time as Grim did.

"Oh yeah, you're Sat- mmphgmg!"

Adram had leaped toward Grim, closing his hand over his mouth, and nervously laughing.

"What are you talking about? Hehe, I mean, sure I know a lot of beings, but I don't know if I know you. I mean, c'mon."

Jr. turned back to Gaap, who raised his hands.

"He's done it that so many times, I just get used to it."

Jr. shrugged it off. He kept his hand on Minnie's, gripping it softly as they walked into the portal. The rest followed through, all except Adram and Grim.

"Boy, I ought ta zap you fer dat!"

"Jr. cannot know who I am. It doesn't matter."

"Da hell it ain't. My boy is not hanin round no damned direct spawn of da dev-!"

"Stop! I know what I am. I don't need you to tell me. God, it kills me that I'm a part of that sonuvabitch. So please, do me the favor of not reminding me every two seconds."

"Whot appen?"

Adram shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. He sighed as he looked up to the gray ceiling.

"I never went back to him. When I jumped back into the portal of hell after dying, I made sure that I hid from him. I couldn't back to that existence, it was too…too-."

"Too finite."

"Yeah…"

"Get da same feelings at times. Don worry, we might just be able ta keep ya hidden. Jus don get me children inta trouble. I'm trustin ya ta watch their backs, especially Jr.'s."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to have Jr.'s back, although, I think Minnie will be doing more of that than me."

"Yea."

Adram happened towards Grim with slight curiosity.

"So, you aren't, like, weirded out by your son and daughter, ya know, being together?"

"Boy, I've don seen worse. She's only half so it ain't much of a problem."

"Yeah. The Underworld doesn't exactly have humanly rules like the earthen plane does. Shit, Hell is even worse. Demons have the most grotesque babies."

"I heard dat. Let's get goin for me wife throws a fit."

"It's still hard to believe that you even have a family, even more so a wife."

"It was either dat or she would have overthrown me. I figured tying da knot wouldn't be too bad. Made it hard for me ta get her to except da kids. Don tell her I think she's a great mudda."

They stepped through the portal and arrived to a much stalled situation. Mandy was staring Jr. down so hard, his head was beginning to smoke on her gaze. Adram couldn't explain what was so powerful about this woman, but apparently she held much prominence than anyone else around. He even believed Grim to be below her. Jr. was so docile compared to when he was fighting Cthulhu.

He stepped very lightly so as not to catch her attention, but it was all in vain as she slowly raised her head to meet his. His entire being froze. Those eyes bore into him, making him feel like a mouse against a cat atop his tail. He could feel his being beginning to shiver and shake under her glare and he was certain that if he were a spawning, he would have pissed his pants.

"Mandy, stop scaring da boy's new friend. It's not nice."

Adram would have prayed to God to get that woman to stop looking at him for even a second, so much so, he would have started kissing Grim's feet just as a kindness for making her put her attention on him.

Mandy looked up at Grim then down at Jr. again. Even Minnie had stayed her distance to at least three feet. When Mandy crouched down to his level, everyone gulped loudly. She tilted his head so he looked at her, but even then he could only look at her for a couple of seconds before he had to avert his eyes. She didn't even twitch a nerve on her face, but instead brought a hand up. Jr. would have flinched, but fear was too great. He waited with bated breath as his mother brought her hand to rest atop his head and rubbed it. He shook once before he relaxed and nodded. She nodded back…then slapped him upside his head that was sure to leave a mark for his troubles. His eyes welled, but a grown man would have cried out a hit like that, so he was in the clear.

Mandy rose from her position and from Adram's perspective, it seemed that everyone was waiting for her call. With position like that, he expected so.

"Let's get a moving people. Let's get the fuck out of here; I want to be home by the next hour and a half."

Everyone marched in positions, the Pain and the army marching away from the building and massacre of demons. Mandy switched to holy bullets. She had them issued soon after the beginning of her reign.

The group of Royals walked slowly, leisurely strolling away. All would have been great until they felt the ground beginning to shake. Jr. and Minnie held onto each other as the ground crackled from under them. The Royals quickly ran from the caving building to get a safe enough distance to see what they were dealing with.

Slimy, slithering flesh ran under the cracks of the ground before tentacles pushed out of the red concrete. Worms fell from the slime, wriggling away from the destruction. A bald head over turned the giant building and rose with its gargantuan body. Tentacles inhabited every flab, crease, and roll on its body, wings protruding from its back. It was kind of like a giant squid beast, demon like with claws at the end of its arms and sharp eyes instead of regular pupils. Adram was the first to find his voice as he questioned what stood before them.

"What the hell is that big ass thing?"

"Da true form of Cthulhu in all his nasty, parasitic glory."

The army that had once started its way back home had stopped and was now at the forefront of the beast. Mandy had Pain ready the weapons on the tanks and land rovers. She turned to Grim with cynicism clear in her voice.

"Next time Grim, when I say just let me kill the damn thing, just fucking let me kill the damned thing! We wouldn't even be in this mess if you had."

"How was I supposed ta know he would be comin back?"

"You make sure to cover your tracks with your enemies. Always, to the day your existence disappears, make sure that you kill your enemies and make sure that they can never come back."

"Just because dat's what you did wit Mindy don mean I have ta follow."

"Just an opinion."

The beast didn't give long to let them know it meant business. A tentacle shot from the ground and decimated a tank, the explosion knocking down everyone, but Mandy. She looked back and shook her head.

"Damnit, that was mine, you fat bastard. Fire!"

Pain bellowed his Queens command and the tanks began to unload on Cthulhu's gelatinous body. The army fired off holy bullets, hoping that the sacred ammo would be able to slow the creature down at least a little. The best they actually did was bounce off him like water balloons against a mattress.

Jr. turned to Grim who was calm about the situation, if a little ticked by it anyway.

"Dad, what do we do? I don't think the tanks are doing much."

"Ahh, Ya Uncle will take care a 'im. I'm not too worried."

"Oh, well, how did you beat him last time?"

"Hmm, de last time I had ta deal wit Cthulhu, I was in top form. Didja ya know dat Nergal Jr. aint ya only uncle? You even have an aunt. Back den, we took Cthulhu out in seconds. Made im cry too!"

"Really?"

"I can still turn inta Death the Hroseman, but only if me nd me scythe's spirit merge as one. Me scythe hasn't talked ta me in a while so dat's a no."

"So what were you guys called?"

"The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse!"

Grim added theatrics to it, raising his arms, but Mandy quickly came up behind him and slapped him upside his head.

"Stop talking about the old days."

"Come now, me boy should look up to his fadda like any son, not his low down uncle."

"Get over it. Unless you can contribute to this fight, like I don't know, form the horseman at this time, stop talking and try to figure out the best way to take this guy down. And stop talking about those assholes."

"Just because you only favor Fury, don mean ya have ta diss me bruddas like dat."

If Mandy reacted to the favor comment, she didn't show it and instead called more orders on the front lines of the fight. Grim quickly kneeled to Jr. and whispered into his ear.

"Ya mudda and Fury are like da two sistahs dey neva had. Ohh, and ya get ya personality form ya uncle War. He's way cooler den ya Uncle Nergal."

Jr. grinned up at his father. Grim sighed and watched as NJ formed more of his Nergal features, popping Cthulhu with green plasma lasers. It was working so far, tentacles began turning black, charred, and falling off, but it seemed for naught.

NJ hadn't seen the tentacle coming from behind and was blown away from the force, hitting the side of another business building. He fell and hit the ground hard. Minnie came up to his side, along with the others and sat him up.

"Father!"

"Ehh, I'm alright Minnie. Damnit, I can't seem to kill him, he just regenerates."

"You are all going about it all wrong."

Heads spun around to see Clockwork floating a couple of feet away, frontal from the explosions and fire the Grim Army was creating with Cthulhu. Grim was disgruntled about seeing his old friend here.

"What da hell are you doin here, Clockwork?"

"Figured you would like a bit of advice before this monster completely wrecks havoc."

NJ stood up, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"I thought you were one of dose leave it alone guys, not really getting involved with anything and just going with the flow."

"Certain…circumstances have come to my attention."

He glanced pointedly at Jr., who quickly averted his gaze. Clockwork turned to the Royals.

"I can give you the advice you want or be on my way. There ARE more important time streams I must check out to prevent unnecessary changes."

Mandy was fed up with it all and quickly pushed through the group to stand at its forefront.

"Clockwork, you know I am not a patient woman. You've seen me when I gave brith to Minnie, all knowing spirit. Tell me how the fuck are we supposed to kill this sonuvabitch, or I swear to you, I will go back in time and kill everyone at the same time."

Clockwork was taken aback. He actually started to sweat a little, hands clenching onto his staff.

"You wouldn't actually kill the first human in the world, would you? You'd disappear."

"Knowing that without humans, without a means of time continuation, you can't survive and you'd eat your mind with all that time to your lonesome, I think I'll manage."

Clockwork shivered and held out his hand. He breathed to calm himself.

"The only way for Cthulhu to become nonexistent is for the weapon that killed his humanoid form reap his creature form."

Jr. gulped as he realized it was his scythe that was needed. He walked past the adults to face Clockwork.

"So, you mean I have to do this?"

"Yes. Your scythe has his humanoid form, the form he can't live without. Once you reap his true form, he'll become nonexistent."

Jr. began to shake, but Grim placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at his father, who nodded in approval, then to everyone else. Jack gave him a thumbs up, Adram shrugged, NJ raised a brow, and Mandy stared at him before gesturing to Cthulhu. He looked down at Minnie, who beamed at him before mouthing that she knew he could do it.

His eyes widened before he narrowed his eyes in determination.

"I'll do it."

Mandy kicked at NJ's downed form.

"He's going to need to get to a high point. Fly him up there."

"What about my Nergal wings?"

"You won't be able to fly up fast enough before Cthlhu's reptilian eyes catch you. NJ, get your ass up and help my son."

"Alright, alright."

NJ stood and lowered his back for Jr. to climb on. He spread his wings and flapped at the ground hard, speeding off the street.

"Jr."

"Yes, Uncle Nergal?"

"I'm trusting you. You are unlike your father, but even so, you still have that Black gene, but I know you are your own person. So I trust my daughter in your hands. Please, don't let me down."

Jr. was quiet before he nodded, speaking lowly as they passed Cthulhu's blobbish form.

"I promise I will keep Minnie safe…forever."

He jumped off NJ's back, aiming for Cthulhu. The demon caught sight of him and began to send tentacles after him, but he was too fast. The tentacles that did aim true, he catapulted off of. Another came at his right and he slashed with his scythe, cutting it off. He was moving too fast and Cthulhu could only groan and screech as the Son of Death sliced into his head. Everyone cringed at the sight and watched with baited breath as they waited for Cthulhu to drop.

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell him he had to reap Cthulhu's heart for it to work."

Everyone looked at him with a glare in their eyes at which he shrugged off.

Jr. kept sliding down veins and arteries as he cut all that he could. Apparently, Clockwork forgot to mention something to him because this bastard wasn't dropping. It was so enclosed in here, it was a wonder how he even was able to move his hand to cut.

Suddenly, he dropped from below as he entered the lungs. He was getting close to something at least.

Everyone outside watched as Cthulhu lurched forward. Mandy ran up to Clockwork and pulled his cloak.

"What the hell it happening?"

"Jr. must have reached a specific organ. If he cuts it, it'll disappear into nothingness."

Jr. dropped downward as he fell from where he cut the right lung. The entire space at which it had encompassed was present, the organ gone. He looked around as the flesh began to concave and took notice of the beating at his left. He smirked as readied his scythe and ran at the muscle.

Cthulhu heaved back before his entire body seemed to suck itself inward. The moment the demon was gone, a figure fell from the air at which everyone sprinted towards it.

Jr. sat up, his entire body covered in sticky gore and slime. The Royals came up to him, but immediately took a slight step back as to distance themselves from the smell coming from Boy Death.

"Brother, thou smells most rancid."

"Da moment we get inta da castle, you are takin a one-hour showa, ya undastand?"

"Got it dad."

"Good God, it's like you decided to roll around in the pit of death."

"Jr., I am so very, ugh, very g-glad that we were able- dear lord, I can't even breath and the smell is reaching me."

Jr. shook his head at his family, but caught Minnie's rueful smile through it all and he smirked as he leaned back, content that things were, for the main part, going to be alright.

* * *

**I am so sorry guys, I know so many people were waiting for this one chap and I couldn't get it in last weekend before Halloween due to some unsavory circumstances, but I got it in as soon as I could today.**


	15. Christmas Euphoria

_Grim Tales of Christmas time! Which means, in this story's case, NJ/Grim embarrassing moments, Minnie sing-alongs, and Jr. epiphanies. We may even have Mandy emotions, which should be enough of a scary Christmas in itself. Onto the shorts!_

_Disclaimer: All characters are in no way shape or form a declaration of owning and are used with the knowledge of each characters respective owners and said copyrights. If anything, they own me, but we won't get into that right now._

* * *

Mandy walked into the suite with absolutely no facial expression at all. If this had been any other person, even the angriest being in the world would have had a smile on his face.

The suite had a view of the entire Atlantic City area. The extravagant lights that flashed on the multitude of casinos, theme parks, other lower hotels, and many bars were flashing high into the glass. The suite itself held obsidian black of cool slates, as if they lead up to a pool, which they did. In actuality, it led to a Jacuzzi tube that sat next to a luxurious bath, connected by steps. Leading away from there was the way to the kitchen, one that made any decent chef water with delight at the setup. The large double door fridge was filled to the brim with all foods made by the best chefs possible, and the freezer, with exotic meats from around the globe, various veggies, and ice cream from the most famous makers straight from Arabia. Any person could very well stay for a month and still stay well fed. The stove was steel, with a traditional gas fire. A small microwave with adjustable settings, but it wasn't made for show. Redwood counters and a movable cart to move around for cooking.

A person would think this was enough, that nothing could top what they had already seen. It only got better. The living room was large enough to hold 50 people, in a corner, spread out. The couch was of raw leather, stuffed with memory foam that made it soft enough to sleep on. Resting atop were Persian made pillows that matched the rug the hide under an oval glass table. The one picture of the _Venus and Adonis_ of theRenaissance said most about the situation of why Mandy was in probably the most expensive hotel in the city, most likely the most expensive suite on the east side.

"Ma'am, would you like anything else?"

Mandy didn't even turn. She inspected the room with the most piercing gaze, as if she were hoping that something was out of place, the smallest inch of line from the rug or picture, anything she could complain about. She sighed as if it disappointed her that absolutely nothing was out of place. She turned her head slightly back towards the bellhop. She waited. And waited. And waited a little bit more. He would be coming-

"Mandy! Did you see dis place! Dey 'ave a fountain in the lobby. Hon, I can't believe dat you picked dis place. You find da best vacation places eva! I even got a handful o' peanuts from dat guy at the front desk! Wonda why his hand shook while he gave dem to meh."

"Most likely because he's never seen Death up so close, dumbass. Why didn't you just teleport here?"

"I wanted to see it firsthand. Oh baby, I luv ya. It's as if we're on a second honeymoon."

Grim walked by the bellhop, not even acknowledging him. He hugged Mandy, who patted him on the back, then pushed him gently away. Not that he minded. He ran straight towards the windows, gawking at the view.

The bellhop, on the other hand, gave the impression of a man who was turning albino by sheer will, completely dropping the luggage he had been holding since they got to the suite. His fear was so palpable, his shakes had shakes, he was losing color in his face, and his eyes were getting wide enough to split his face open. With fear in the dictionary, the bellhop would be a perfect example of it.

"Hey, you, idiot!"

The bellhop looked very rigidly at her. She snapped her fingers at Grim and pointed towards the bedroom. He scoffed at her and instead went into the bathroom. She sighed loudly again, but ignored it for favor of the man standing before her.

"Look, if you do me two things, you can keep the money. You will go downstairs and you will tell everyone that it was false alarm and the man in black robes was just in a really convincing costume."

She handed him a 50 and he had to hold his hand up to his face because it was apparent that he couldn't move his head down at all.

"Second, you will bring me a jar of peanut butter, in 20 minutes. You do that, and you can keep everything."

She then pulled two 100 and another 50 out. The bellhop was completely stunned, so much so, he forgot about the Reaper of Souls walking his happy self right by him. He looked up as if he couldn't understand, but he didn't question it. The night was weird –and scary- enough. He nodded vigorously and high-tailed it.

Mandy closed the door gently before she frowned a Mandy-frown.

"Grim!"

Grim walked out the bathroom glowing with joy.

"Mandy, the bathroom has a bathtub and a Jacuzzi. A Jacuzzi!"

"I don't give a damn, bonehead. Who the hell do you think you are? You could have had the police called on you! Now, whenever it isn't on a night like this, you can go to Alcatraz for all I care. I'll get you when I want then, but right now, I don't time for spending more money."

"Well, I neva!"

"Actually, you've been in this situation a time before, ever since I was young really. Get over it. Come."

Grim moved with her to the bedroom and gushed with more fervor. The bed also had a view, more towards the ocean, just so that when the sun both rose and set, light would fill the room. The rug that rested under the table in the living room seemed to actually be a piece from the rest the resided in the bedroom, the red and yellow dyed furs completely covering the room, from entrance to the window wall. There was an in-wall vanity with a chair you see in Cinderella movies with the plasma screen T.V. hung in the wall right above it. The bed seemed to be out of a fairytale as well, a wreath hanging from the support beams that squared the bed was of a bronze shade. The bed was covered in blood red tint that complemented the wreath, the silken covers and many pillows matching the décor.

"It's like we neva left de honeyroom suite dose years ago."

"Agreed."

Silence grew between the two and it seemed to become awkward as it born out of the nervous Reaper and blank Senator.

"Grim."

"I don wanna."

"You promised. Whether you want to or not, it's going to happen."

"But…"

Mandy sighed for the third time that night and walked up to the dead corpse. Her hand rested on his shoulder and atop his head.

"Grim, I need this. It is a bit earlier than expected, but he has to come. I've gotten too stressed for this entire Underworld and I need him."

"I still can' believe dat you can tolerate him."

"Grim!"

"Okay! Geez!"

Mandy took a step back and watched as Grim sighed, uncovered his hood, and began to hum. It was a resonating one, resounding against the room walls and bouncing into her ears. His scythe staff rose from beneath the slates and the blade grew from the blackened wood. She would have to pay for that. The blade began to quiver, shivering from the voice of the Reaper and then grew to a bloody tone, redder than the sheets that covered the bed. Then, Grim stopped.

A drop. Right onto his head and slid down into his nose. If Mandy looked closely, she could see it move off his right foot and onto the floor. Another bloody tear fell from the blade and another before rain in a straight line contacted the boney skull of Death. The scythe began its own hum, _Whisper of a Thrill_ flowing into the air in reverence of who was forming.

Muscles began to grow out from the bloody bones, veins stretching outward. Organs filled in spots. Skin began to cover those hardened muscles and blonde hair pulled itself out from the top of the head. As the body changed, the robes tore, rearranging, yet didn't make a sound. It couldn't be heard over top the hum. It was as if nothing was to ruin the song made by the most feared weapon upon the Earth's surface.

Mandy gazed upon the man being made, his suit now upon him fittingly, his golden skin stretching the boundaries at which it could be pulled. She looked and waited. Soon the blue oceans that held half of her heart were born and she was looking upon the husband that married her on the human plane. She couldn't help herself. She flung herself to him. Her Joe was back.

She smiled lightly and looked into his gaze. He raked over her face and grinned, squinting his eyes at her as if it hurt to see her beauty up so close.

"Gods, I have missed you, Mandy."

She kissed him with raw and unbidden passion, he staggered against her. She delved into his mouth, tasting him after six months. Her hair melded with his and their skin seemed to alight wherever their hands touched.

She knew someone otherworldly would have to be the one to make her feel this. She couldn't have been closer to the truth. Only he could actually make her _feel_. Who this man was-

"Wait."

She let go of his lips and he would have fallen had he not had better reflexes than most men. Mandy dashed around the bed and grabbed the remote from the side desk. She turned to the plasma and turned it on. Flipping through a couple of channels, scoffing at all the talk shows she was able to find, she got to the ten o'clock news.

"_We have breaking news. A hotel on the Rio beach just collapsed. Investigators say the supports beams just gave out."_

Mandy looked at Joe once more, feeling her mouth twitch before she smiled again.

"_Oh, this just in! An earthquake swallowed the building rubble. Reporters say it isn't deep, but police are having trouble with getting their men out of the hole! It's apparent-"_

Was the one who could make her smile, which in turn caused chaos around the world. She clicked off the T.V. and dropped her suit that she had been secretly unbuttoning for the past five minutes. The world could pay for her happiness.

_15 minutes later_

The bellhop rang the buzzer. He tapped his foot and waited for the extremely wealthy lady. Maybe he would get another tip.

The door opened and he brought the small cart forward, his head watching the bowl of freshly made peanut butter so that it wouldn't tip over.

"Okay, ma'am, I had our best chef whip up a bowl of homemade peanut butter, made with honey and a pinch of salt."

He looked up and completely lost train of thought. The woman was covered in a bathrobe, but seemed immodest enough to leave it open. Sweat poured from her skin in rivulets that seemed to make her glow. If he was any kind of other indecent person, he would have looked down to see if she was a natural blonde, which she was. But this bellhop was keeping his eyes to himself and even looked at his shoes to keep from wandering below the belt.

"You had them home make this? You could have just gone to the store."

"Y-yea, now that I think about it."

"Now I have to pay for room service."

"O-oh, no worries, ma'am. I just paid the chef with the money you gave me."

"Really, well that was partly generous of you, mainly stupid. That money was actually yours."

The bellhop felt like a complete idiot. Here he was, shaking and getting clammy like an oaf because of a very hot woman that could most likely past for a model, had the chefs make peanut butter he could have just went down to the corner store to get, and he just paid the chef all of his tip. Maybe he just shouldn't have come in that day.

"Well, I'm not leaving you without something."

"I-it's no prob-."

"Shut up!"

He closed his mouth as quickly as possible. He waited as she dug somewhere in her purse. Would she give him $500, or maybe $700? He was hoping, but he doubted if she even gave him a ten.

"Here. I was supposed to auction this off, but I really don't want to wait the process and I have enough money, not being dirty like some other politicians I know. How about you sell it?"

She tossed him a dime and between catching the dime and catching her bare, he had to juggle it.

"Happy holidays."

She took the cart with her and shut the door on his face. When she tossed the dime to him, his eyes couldn't keep off her breasts, full and, if he could say without blowing his brain, all natural? His eye twitched and he stumbled towards the elevator, his mind effectively malfunctioning. He would find later that the second best thing that happened the entire night (next to seeing the model in all her glory) was that the dime was a **(1)** Mercury 1926 dime, in perfect condition. He rarely took off another day of work.

_TLTS_

Adram walked down the street, his fiery hair flaking embers from the spiky tips. He had come back to Nergal town in hopes of spotting some friends he could say goodbye to, but his main mission was to make sure he burned his apartment. He couldn't effectively move unless his things were in the possession of his fire. The walk was so boring, just passing some demons here and there, he zoned out. He remembered Little Boy Death, his father, the Grim Reaper, Mandeline, the Queen of the Underworld, MiniMandy, Nergalian princess of the Underworld, Nergal Jr., Son of the Great Nergal King, and Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. And here he was, summoned as a personal bodyguard for Jr.

He was completely lost in thought; so much so, he almost ran into a pole, spinning in a circle before he could crush his nose into the iron. He almost didn't hear the giggle come from up above him.

"Geez, we leave you by yourself for only an hour and you're already losing it."

Shining gold hair was the first indication of Lilith's arrival. He held his hand out to her which she pulled up with ease.

"Lilith, so you decided to come out of hiding now, huh?"

"Well, I understand it was a mistake. I scolded Kobal for walking out on you and I'm just as angry with myself. I'm sorry we turned our backs Adram, we were scared that we wouldn't be strong enough."

"Don't worry about it. Actually, I think you'd be glad you didn't come. Cthulhu wasn't just a powerful demon; he was a disgusting ugly bastard, fat, slimy. Makes me shiver just thinking about it.

And don't worry about it, Lily; I'm just glad you weren't there to get hurt."

"Thanks Adram."

He scratched his head as he grinned at her wide smile. He looked around as he realized the bulky form of his friend was missing.

"Where is the giant lug, anyway? He can't be moping in all this time, can he?"

"I left him at his townhouse complex, but I think he wandered to the _Bowels of Cerberus_."

Adram shivered as they started towards the establishment. The _Bowels of Cerberus_ happened to be the most popular bar and eatery in Nergal town, but would turn into a complete disaster by the end of the day. It would start off as a clean and polished restaurant, but by midday, would become the absolute palace of a pig cohabitating with a fly at a city dump.

"Why did he have to go there? I barely go in there as it is and I like to keep it that way."

As they approached the tavern, they could see they just passed the afternoon rush, which meant, the place had just turned downhill. Adram and Lilith began to step over the unconscious bodies of several demons that had their drinks, but couldn't make it to the door in time before their inebriation caught up to them. Tables were overturned and plates of food were on the floor, roaches and rats already nibbling at what remained.

"God, this place looks like the offspring of a biker, booze, and demons just puked and nobody bothered to clean."

"Don't be ridiculous…it's more of what would happen if humans decided to take a sipof demon elixir and wanted to have their hangover here."

They finally made it to the bar table (not without complaint) and saw the bartender stereotypically cleaning a glass with a washcloth. Or rather, a warped goblet with bison leather. He barely looked up at them when they reached the bar and completely ignored them when they conspicuously coughed to get his attention.

"Hey."

"What the hell do you want?"

"I'm looking for a demon."

The bartender sneered with his reptilian face.

"You're looking for a demon? I haven't noticed was one in the middle of all these other…demons."

"Alright listen; I don't have time for your fucking sarcasm. I'm looking for a demon of hilarity. Burly and bald, looks kinda human except for his orange skin, would have been wearing a gauntlet if he was in a fight."

"You mean that guy, right over there? He's the only one's who's been asking for a more drinks."

The demon in the corner was sitting slumped against the wall, looking as if he was about to fall from his chair. He swayed a little and both of them jumped when he swiveled, then caught himself. Lilith turned her pleading eyes towards the bartender.

"Please, don't let him have anymore. He's bad enough, but his powers get more troublesome the drunker he gets."

The bartender raised the skin where an eyebrow would have been, but shrugged and went back to cleaning.

Kobal was seriously drowned in liquor. Everything was a blur, misshapen in all forms and it was hard to focus on one thing before it hurt his eyes to try to guess what they were. Suddenly, out of his peripherals, two new blobs emerged and he sat up a little more in his seat, almost once again falling from his seat, at which, one of the blobs jumped at him, but backed away when they saw he was righting up. He looked at the amorphous shapes.

One was red, like blood, little black pieces of dust falling from the top. It glowed with heat and he felt like he was too close to a fire.

The other was a shining gold, white at midway down. He was looking at the sun just before an eclipse and it still hurt his eyes.

They both did and he had to turn away before they gave him a headache. Time to get a little more drunk before he could process looking at them without burning his eyes.

"Botis, a little more Calicem solumque with mors jackal, please."

"Sorry, buddy, no more heart stoppers for you."

Kobal turned away from the reliable source of heady amborsia to lookat the blob that denied him rights to his next drink.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Buddy, now don't tell me you've forgotten me already?"

"Adram? Why are you so fat and blobbish? I thought you're skinny."

"Don't worry bout it, big guy. Let's just get you home."

"Wait, give me a sec. Some dude, just stopped me from getting my drink. Ehy, buddy, wanna go?"

Adram sighed and turned towards the front of the bar.

"Lilith, please try to get him to get up."

Adram walked back to the front of the bar, beckoning Botis towards him. The bartender reluctantly brought himself over to the Lord of Fire.

"Let me get what he got."

"Are you sure? Don't you need to be able to carry him out first?"

"My body's fire will burn the liquor faster than it will his. I'll be fine, just get me my drink."

"In this place, anyone can get drunk."

Botis shook his head, but brought out the steel lacquered shaker and poured in the substance of both bottles with strange writing on them. He shook it and pulled out two shot glasses, pouring the mixture of the shaker in both glasses.

"So, what, you need money, or is this like some sadistic malformation thing?"

"You've never been to my bar before have you?"

Adram scratched his head, looking sheepish.

"Well, I've never actually been in this place for long. I usually just come to get Kobal and get out."

Botis handed him his drink, his eyes turning reptilian and he picked up the second glass.

"Let me know of your past and future and I shall declare it for you."**(2)**

The cheered and everything blurred into a darkness of the deepest depths of the farthest abyss in Hell.

"_You shall be Lord of Fire…_

…_boil the lake of blood, my son…_

…_you are to be part of an experiment…_

…_I'm Axel. Got it memorized?..._

…_I'll always be there to bring you back…_

…_That's not true. I would…_

…_Sorry for what I did to her…_

…_So who are you little man?..._

…_Gold shines brightest in fire's light…_

…_short for Adramelech. Got it memorized?..._

…_Lilith, I…_

…_kissy face…_

…_more tea, Minnie?..._

…_you will betray him…_

…_recede back to the river Phelgethon…_

…_yes, father…_

…_ADRAM!..._

…_JR!"_

Botis' vision cleared, but that didn't stop him from staggering back. His face was ashen, sweaty from heat he couldn't feel any longer. He looked at Axel's inebriated face and shook his head.

"Damn. You are going to be in a lot of shit I couldn't even have nightmares about, there too scary. If there is one thing I can say, you shall be a part of that which decides the fate of the human, demon, and angel realm as we know it."

Botis picked up one of the shot glasses and grabbed the other, but then seemed to think about it, shook his head, pulled out a actual jug, and sat it on the bar, bringing the shaker out for another round. He poured another glass and cheered to Adram's wide smile and lazy eyes.

"Cheers to your crazy-ass future."

Lilith finally was able to get Kobal to agree to come with her and pulled him up by his arm. If she didn't spend so much time carrying gold bags, she would have a problem with his overbearing weight. Not to say he wasn't a hassle to get up by herself. Luckily, she had-

FWOOOSH! Food beside her caught fire. She jumped slightly and looked towards Adram. He hiccupped. Fire sprouted from another source in the room and Botis had to get an extinguisher to put it out.

She walked up to Adram and groaned loudly in annoyance. The son of a bitch was drunker than the guy they came to pick up. She glared at Botis, who shrugged at her before he went back to his glass. She sighed and picked Adram up between her and Kobal's shoulders. He bent back and hiccupped again, the entire substance of liquor in the jug catching fire. Botis shook his head, yet still continued to drink.

Lilith walked with her boys out the bar, but just before she exited, she quickly turned around, shooting a gold coin from out her finger and in only a second of flying through the air, the coin went through the glass jug Botis had been drinking from. She turned away haughtily and stormed out the bar. Botis set his glass down and groaned.

"Another unsatisfied costumer."

Down the street, Adram had finally started working off the drink, his fire much more potent outside the bar. He walked with his arm on Lilith's left, Kobal's on her right. He still swayed and slurred, but it was rapidly going away and he was beginning to catch himself faster. He and Kobal were having a talk about Cthulhu.

"And he was real ugly after he transformed. I mean, fat on shlabs of hish body, worms and tentacles shticking out of it. He had the face only a shuccubus could fuck."

"Sssshit!"

"I'm serious. He's like the opposite of the appeal of…"

Adram looked down in concentration as if his analogy had the weight of the world on its shoulders. He looked around before he looked behind him and smiled as he found the answer to what he was looking for.

"Lilith's butt!"

Said owner of derriere had been ignoring them both to concentrate on not letting them fall on the ground. When Adram called attention to her "aspects", she blushed redder than his hair. Most demons didn't have modesty, but Lilith wasn't one of them.

"Shee how it's all bouncy and full. It's like a shapely plum."

"Nah, see the way her hipssh move. It's like almond shaped mangoesh."

"Either way, it'shh way more appealing than looking at Cthulhu for any more of than a shecond."

"Okay, how about we not talk about my ass!"

"…what bout your boobs?"

"Now those are like plums. Ones that overgrew to the size of your hand."

The three friends walked down the street together, arms around each other, as they stepped into an uncertain future together.

_TLTS_

"Dad, Uncle Nergal? What are you guys doing?"

Grim and NJ both were dressed as Santa, an empty sack hanging from their belts and white beards on both faces that covered all, but their eyes.

"We have ta go Christmas shopping. Presents, more ornaments, cookies"-

"Eggnog!"

"Yes, more eggnog. There is much ta do. Aren't you supposed ta be helpin' ya sistah decorate da tree dis yea?"

"Yeah, that's what the box is for. I have a lot in there, but it might not fit the entire tree. Where did you even find this one?"

"We actually had Santa 'imself make it for us."

"But it's real?"

"Exactly! Santa's just dat good."

"Well, whatever. Mom just said if you're going to go out, make sure if you get into any fights, move to the state over. She doesn't know how, but apparently it rests on her shoulders if any damage of supernatural origin is detected in the city of New Megaville. Superheroes might get a whiff and come clear across town for any action."

He left the two adults who were waving him off and completely skeptical of any violence that could convene between them.

"Come now, Grim. We're both adults here. I mean, it's not like we can't get along for one year, am I right?"

"I know. Dat woman, dinks dat we can' handle ourselves like gentlemen."

"Come now; let us show her our maturity."

It was busy at the mall that they went to. Mainly, people just got their things, paid, and went off on their merry way. Maybe, the world would just finally calm itself, just be cheerful and-

"Grim, what kind of cookies you want?"

"What do you mean what kind?"

"Does it matter what kind?"

"Of course it mattahs! Do you just put any old cookies out for Santa?"

"Well, yeah! He doesn't care what kind they are, just he gets them and there's a glass of milk right beside the plate."

"No, if you've been to 'is house before, you would know dat da Mrs. always gives 'im chocolate chip since dey are 'is favorites."

"How would you know? Have you asked him?"

"Don' need to. Da wife knows all bout de 'usband."

"Maybe that's just because you're pussy-whipped."

"Am not!"

"Are too and you know it."

"Fook you. At least I 'ave a wife!"

People were starting to stare at the argument, but were beginning to back off when they saw the aura of power grow from the men.

"Grim, you didn't just go there!"

"Try me. You are testin' me patience nd I may just 'ave ta screw da promise I made to me wife just so I can kick ya scrawny Nergal butt up nd down the street!"

Their eyes glowed with fire and green plasma. It was only a matter of time before-

BOOM! NJ went flying out the window of the mall store and Grim flew through the door to the back room. Easy to say, the day for some shoppers who didn't get out of the way with their presents fast enough, were pissed when they had to go buy some more.

_Megaville City Office_

"Mrs. Black?"

"Yes, Ms. Bellum?"

"We are getting reports of green shots of light and raging fire coupled with Santas fighting at the Megaville Square mall."

Mandy sighed loudly. She looked up from the report on her desk.

"I'll handle it personally. If the police apprehend them, send them straight to me, no processing."

"Of course, Mrs. Black."

Mandy walked to the window as the door shut and rolled her eyes. Out in the far distance, she could see fire and green lighting, helicopters and squad cars flying down the street towards them.

"Idiots."

_TLTS_

Jr. tied the end of a streamer onto one of his wings and a sting of lights on the other wing, grabbed some ornaments into his hands and tentacles. Minnie was at the other side in the same position.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

"GO!"

Jr. flew up in the air, his streamers catching the branches of the giant pine tree in the center of their large living room. Minnie was on the opposite side, both making X's as they crossed each other again and again. The ornaments were dropped as they sped at speeds faster than birds. Once they got to the top of the tree, Jr. untied his streamer ends and dropped them right at the top, Minnie following his lead.

"You got the bows, lil sis?"

"If thou shalt get the candy canes."

"Got it."

Minutes later, the tree was only missing one thing that was vital to its completion. Every year, it was something Jr. always wanted to do and made sure he always did. He was the star, right? Instead, this year, he was more mature and knew much more than he did last year. Minnie was surprised to find herself in the arms of her mate, holding the large star in one hand. She looked at his bone structure to find him smiling widely.

"I think, sis, you should get to put the star on top."

"But brother, it is thou's most favored holiday job. You always do so on every nearing of the holiday."

"Last year, I wasn't mated to the most beautiful girl in Underworld and was too stupid to realize how much she meant to me."

Minnie may have said something else, but she was far too shy under her blush to really say anything above a mumble. Jr. laughed, which got Minnie to smile. He floated against the top, waiting for Minnie to stop fumbling with the star long enough to set it on the top. He dropped to the ground and set Minnie on her feet.

"Thank you, brother."

"It wasn't anything, Min"-

She kissed his cheek before he could say much and she left him red faced and scratching his head. He picked up the box that the ornaments were in and walked off to the set them in the hallway closet.

"Didn't Jr. tell you that if you were going to fight, move over to the next damn state? Now the city is starting to get suspicious of me being dirty every time I decided to bust you two out of jail. Next fucking time, you're staying there until AFTER Christmas, do you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Mandy was walking by with NJ and Grim behind her, heads downcast and looking the worst for wear. Grim's hat was blown to bits, smoldering from the charred pieces. His red jacket was torn apart by claws and his face was cut from the scratches. NJ was no better. His hair was hanging over his face which was blackened with soot. He completely lost his jacket and was wearing only suspenders and a white tee. His hat was halved and only had the bottom.

Jr. shook his head, but didn't say anything as he walked by with the box in his arm. He didn't even want to know what they got into.

This was the year he got something he never expected to want in his heart. He got love from his sister and gave his willingly. If you had told him last Christmas that he would have been not only caring towards his sister, but also have mated her, he would have said you were the most insane person in the world. He wouldn't have believed it. But here it was. He was not only dead, but he had Nergal powers and Reaper powers. He was much stronger than his Uncle, but no less respectful. He was more protective of Minnie than anyone else and dared the next fool to come after her. Who else had the complete balls to do so and think they would live?

"Hey, Minnie!"

"Yes, brother mine?"

"Want ta help bake some cookies?"

"That would be most delightful."

Jr. and Minnie smiled as they headed to the kitchen. The cook would find it most folly that he allowed the Underworld Prince and Princess into the kitchen. By the time they had their cookies, the entire place was covered in mix and eggs as if on a cartoon.

_TLTS_

Jr. and Minnie awoke on Christmas morning under the tree already. Jr. raised his head and groggily looked over to the tree to see it full of presents. His head shot up and he jumped up to look over to the seat where he had left the cookies. Most were gone and instead of milk, there was a note. He helped Minnie to her feet and ran over to the stool.

"_Minnie, my most beloved Princess in all of Underworld, I wish you the best of Christmas cheer. Jr., you have gone from bad egg to the most loving elder brother I have seen, so much so, you have taken Minnie fully into your heart. I wish you both a Merry Christmas and do tell your mother to smile more often even if it brings down buildings."_

Jr. handed the note to Minnie and smiled as her face lit up in joy. She hugged her brother and looked towards the presents.

"Oh, how I wish our mother didn't need her beauty sleep so late. I wish to open mine presents now, but we must await."

"Eh, I give it two minutes before Dad comes barreling down the stairs. He'll make Mom wake up."

It was only seconds after this, Grim ran down the steps, Mandy flying from his hand. Jr. smirked and crossed his arms expectantly.

"CHRISTMAS!"

The Prince and Princess of the Underworld chuckled at the sight of their normally straight-faced father smiling widely like a nutcracker, Mandy with an annoyed faced right behind him.

"Grim, have I not told you not to carry me by hand down those steps for some incessant reasoning?"

"But Mandy, it's Christmas time! Oh , 'ow I rememba when we saved Christmas wit' dat Head Vampire from Mrs. Claus, who's the Head Head Vampire. I heard she lost weight after Santa started to help her with her chores."

"Wouldn't you gain weight if you lose a modicum of exercise?"

"Maybe she ate a lot in depression from it all. Either way, I'm digging in!"

Grim jumped head first into the present ocean and Mandy sighed at her husband's immaturity. Jr. and Minnie grinned and jumped in with him. Mandy sat down on the couch and called Pain for some hot chocolate. It wasn't coffee, but it'd get the job done just as well.

Games, toys, books for Minnie, a skateboard for Jr., a red cloak for Grim.

"Hey, Ma!"

"Yes, Jr.?"

"I think this one's for you."

He jumped out of the pile and handed her the box. She opened it and cranked her head at the jewelry. It was completely gold with a heart locket at the center. Jr. had been left, so it was okay for her to show emotion when she looked inside and smiled at a picture of Grim on one side and Joe on the other, her husbands.

She nodded and put the chain around her neck before going back to the hot chocolate at her side and the book she was reading.

"Holy crap!"

Jr. jumped out of the pile and looked at the electric guitar he was holding. It was red and white, the strings lining silver. It shined in Jr's eyes. Next to it, speakers were already set up, hidden under a pile of presents inconspicuously.

"Brother mine! Look at this glorious gift Santa has given me to wear."

Minnie jumped from her pile and brought out the outfit she was speaking of. It was a replica of her ballerina outfit. The shoulder vest was red, white fluff covering the ends. Her tights were snow white and the shoes were a mint green. Jr. had say, Santa did an impressive-

"It says Mrs. Claus made it herself. Oh, I shall wear it post haste."

She ran off and Jr. set his guitar down with most reverence. In fact, he didn't even go back to the pile of still unwrapped gifts. He was too busy staring down the guitar as if it were a lifeline. His hands itched to play something, but he was too starstruck to figure one out. He didn't even know if he could play it well. He was a prodigy at any instrument since his Nergal assimilation of powers, but he hadn't tried anything he hadn't played yet. The electric guitar was one of them.

"I must say, Minnie your outfit suits you well."

"Thank you dear mother. Brother, doth thou think me well in this ensemble?"

Jr. turned away from his gift and his entire head fell from his shoulders. Minnie stood awaiting her brother's response, but wouldn't get one for awhile except for the occasional mumble and guttural moan.

In her brother's eyes, she looked even lovelier in Christmas clothes than she did her regular ballerina outfit. It fit just as tight and radiantly made her skin and hair stand out as they both shone in her glow. She was confused in the face, but made no stop as she picked her brother's head off the floor and set it back onto his body.

"Brother?"

"Gods, Mins, Mrs. Claus sure does know how to work."

Jr. quickly wrapped his arms around his sister, both their eyes lidded as he went in for the kill. Well, he would have. His head once again rolled on the floor.

"Now, I may not care much for the factor that you both are mates, but there is no way in hell do I want to see my children kissing like they have no modesty."

Minnie looked over Jr's body for his head and set it back on. She kissed his cheek instead. She sat beside his guitar and gestured to it.

"Brother, has thou begun playing?"

"Well, actually, I don't know if I can play. I'm afraid I won't be any good."

Minnie handed it to him and he took it and set himself up. He strummed a little, testing the waters and adjusting the strings for the correct sound he was looking for. He smirked as shot his hand, laughing as the speakers amplified his tone.

"How about you play something instead of just making noise?"

He blushed under his mother's quip, but still couldn't figure it out.

"Oh, I forgot the bells underneath."

Minnie pulled out a pair of bells from within her box her outfit came from. Jr. looked as she hung them on the ends of her flaps and grinned as he realized what he wanted to play.

"Mom, can you get pain to set up a concert real quick. No one really has to come; I just need a stadium…and some servants who know how to play some things."

_TLTS_

It took an hour and a half to get everything set up, what with the giant tree and several instruments that needed setting up, including a piano and some speakers. Jr. looked out into the stadium and smiled as actually some denizens of the underworld took their seats. He waved to the patrons and they waved back. He didn't really expect anyone to come, especially when he tried to play the trumpet.

He walked to the back of the stage and saw several demons and beasts setting things up. He smirked; it was good to be Prince.

"Brother!"

"What's up, Minnie?"

"Mother said it is almost time to convene to the center stage."

"Good, come with me."

"Oh, Brother, this is performance is thou's, I could never interfere with it."

"Bur you are my sister and good luck charm. I need you with me."

Minnie looked skeptical, but nonetheless came on stage with him.

"Mins, you know the lyrics to _Carol of the Bells_, right?"

"Yes."

"In Ukrainian?"

"Well, Ms. Helga made sure I knew seventeen languages, so I suppose I can translate them."

"Then we have no problem."

Jr. waved to the crowd. It had gotten immensely larger, but he didn't fear it. He had been in front of a crowd before and he was okay with this one. He picked up his guitar and took half the seat of the stool. Minnie came up and took the other half.

"Hello! I am Prince Jr. of the Underworld and my sister, MiniMandy, Princess of the Underworld is also with me with a couple of people my mother knows who can play. We are here to entertain you for Christmas day."

The people applauded and Jr. looked over to his sister and winked. Minnie smiled back, but looked visibly shaken. He leaned over and whispered into her ear.

"You've done this before. Just relax; I know you can do this."

Her shaking eased a little and she stopped clutching her winter outfit. Jr. nodded to the conductor and the sound of music flowed into the air. The guitars from in the conductor stable began to play. Bass eased in. Violins started and then, it all settled.

Jr. shot his hand out and the music took a turn for the rock as he strummed the start of _Carol of the Bells_ of the Trans Siberian Orchestra. The keyboards made their appearance and Jr. let the sound of his guitar flow out. It was all so beautiful yet hard; many of the patrons were rocking their heads with eyes closed. Jr. got up and struck his guitar harder. It was nearing the end. Then everything stopped. A chorus began and Jr. gestured to Minnie. Ukrainian flowed from her mouth (as well as the chorus behind her) as easily as English.**(3)**

_Shchedryk shchedryk, shchedrivochka_

_Pryletila lastivochka_

_Stala sobi shchebetaty_

_Hospodarya vyklykaty_

_"Vyydy, vyydy, hospodaryu_

_Podyvysya na kosharu_

_Tam ovechky pokotylys'_

_A yahnychky narodylys'_

_V tebe tovar ves' khoroshyy_

_Budesh 'maty mirku hroshey_

_V tebe tovar ves' khoroshyy_

_Budesh 'maty mirku hroshey_

_Khoch ne hroshey, to polova_

Jr. had never heard anything so beautiful and he almost cried as he heard his sister's voice fly into the air.

_V tebe zhinka chornobrova "_

_Shchedryk shchedryk, shchedrivochka_

_Pryletila lastivochka_

_Stala sobi shchebetaty_

_Hospodarya vyklykaty_

_"Vyydy, vyydy, hospodaryu_

_Podyvysya na kosharu_

_Tam ovechky pokotylys'_

_A yahnychky narodylys'_

_V tebe tovar ves' khoroshyy_

_Budesh 'maty mirku hroshey_

_V tebe tovar ves' khoroshyy_

_Budesh 'maty mirku hroshey_

_Khoch ne hroshey, to polova_

_V tebe zhinka chornobrova "_

Jr. ran up his sister and grabbed her from behind. He sprouted his wings and flew into the air, Minnie almost losing her lines as she was distracted momentarily. Instead, she continued and smiled as she sprouted her wings as well, Jr. trying to join in from what he heard. They danced as the crowd cheered.

_Shchedryk shchedryk, shchedrivochka_

_Pryletila…_

Minnie looked straight into Jr's eyes as she said the last part with only the girls

_Laaaastivochka…_

The stadium cheered loudly as the siblings floated to the ground. Minnie completely ignored the people while her brother waved. She wanted to kiss him, but she couldn't. It was too scandalous and she didn't know how everyone would react. She bit her lip as she brought her head down, resting it against his chest, so she didn't know when he looked down at her incredulously.

"Minnie! You were amazing. I didn't know you couldn't sing that well!"

"Even though it's well…"

"What?"

"The lyrics are completely of thine's bountiful New Year the master of a household will have should the swallow fly its wing inside."

Jr. shook his head. It didn't matter. In fact, he believed that the song actually held some merit. It would be a New Year, one full of happiness and love. He would welcome it with open arms and it would be a perfect year.

* * *

**Damn, talk about a long ass chap. I think that makes up for not being there on Christmas, because that's when I was trying to shot this out, but didn't have enough time.**

**(1)Mercury 1926 dime-If in great condition could run for about $3,000**

**(2)Botis is a actual demon that is reptilian in appearance and declares your past and future.**

**(3)English Translation:**

**Shchedryk, shchedryk, a shchedrivka (New Year's carol)  
A little swallow flew (into the household)  
And started to twitter  
To summon the master  
"Come out, come out, O master (of the household)  
Look at the sheep pen  
There the ewes are nestling  
And the lambkin have been born  
Your goods (livestock) are great  
You will have a lot of money, (by selling them)  
Your goods (livestock) are great  
You will have a lot of money, (by selling them)  
If not money, then chaff: (from all the grain you will harvest)  
You have a dark-eyebrowed (beautiful) wife"  
Shchedryk, shchedryk, a shchedrivka  
A little swallow flew**


	16. Life and Times of the Grim Family Pt 1

_More shorts...long shorts_

_Disclaimer: All characters are in no way shape or form a declaration of owning and are used with the knowledge of each characters respective owners and said copyrights. If anything, they own me, but we won't get into that right now._

* * *

Jr. walked down the spiral stairs in the early morning. He could hear the dead birds outside tweeting and cawing. He shook his head to get the sleeps out, but it seemed only to bring more to his headache than before. He sighed as he realized he shouldn't have stayed up so late, but when he remembered why he was up so late. He had cuddled (and kissed) with his sister as they spoke about pretty much nothing. Minnie had told him how she wanted to go swimming once in her lifetime. In the Underworld, water had a habit of housing many demons and creatures in its depths. To swim in the rivers and lakes meant having to contest with said denizens and make it out without injury.

It happened to him once and he had to wait an entire day before his father could locate the grimy bastard who had stolen his right arm. He hadn't cried…the entire time. Soon his mother took matters into her own hands and every creature in the nearby lake gave up every bone they had in their gullets. Jr. still didn't believe that this arm was his, but he digressed. His first order of business was to eat something. Second, get Charles to allow him to go to the human realm to visit the beach. He reached the kitchen upon which many of the skeletal chefs turned to him.

"Morning!"

"Prince Jr."

They bowed and he nodded with a wave.

"Just gettin' some cereal."

"Are you sure? We could certainly make some brunch if you would like."

"Nah, I'm not that hungry."

Actually, hunger was something Jr. didn't really know too well. Being dead meant all the signs of bodily needs and functions didn't apply to him. But the Nergalian side of him would need some type of nourishment and he had to keep that side of him well fed if he wanted to continue to use its powers.

"_**Hey, I want Cinnamon Toast Crunch."**_

"God, you and your CTC addiction."

"_**At least I'm not in loooove with my sister."**_

"Shaddap."

Jr. was speaking to the entity that his Nergal form rested on. It formed some weeks after the incident of Minnie's death, but back then, it was more malicious, greedy and envious. Now, it was like an inner conscious. It talked to him and he, for some odd reason, talked back. It gave a whole new meaning to talking to yourself.

He was heading to the table when a tentacle poked out and pulled the chair back from the table. He sat down and began to eat. The tentacle ripped open a jaw to talk through. When he had first began using Nergal powers, that would have had him rolling on the floor in pain.

"_**Give me some!"**_

"Hell no! You slobber, remember? I'm not too beat to have Nergal spit on my spoon."

"_**Give the flesh your food."**_

"Bite me."

He yowled as the tentacle actually bit him on the arm. Luckily, it was the arm not holding the spoon.

"What the hell, man?"

"_**You said bite you."**_

"I didn't mean literally! If you don't behave, I'll make you get back in my head."

"_**What, and have me not be there when you need skin?"**_

"Fuck off."

"_**Just give me a spoon! One is all I'm askin'!"**_

"Jr., are you talkin to yourself?"

The tentacle quickly receded back into his house pants. Adram walked into the dining room, wearing the pants half of a nightie. Jr. nodded to the fire demon.

"No, just thinking out loud."

"…Creepy. Ahh well. Ooh, Cinnamon Toast Crunch!"

Adram ran right past his charge and into the kitchen. The tentacle slipped out from his pants.

"_**Man, that was close."**_

"Too close. How about you just stay inside? I don't want Adram freaking out about you."

"_**Hey, I need air, too and sitting in your pants aren't exactly the best place for a great smell. Now about that spoonful…"**_

"Morning, Princess!"

"Princess, it is as good to see you as ever. Would you like anything?"

"If you could bring me a bit of tea, I would be most elated."

"Of course."

"Has thou been by my brother as of late?"

"He is in the dining room, Princess."

"Thank thee."

Minnie strolled into the dining room in her nightgown. Jr. smiled as she yawned slightly, her face flushing against the light. He had to turn away as he blushed when her gown rode up her legs.

"_They're so creamy…"_

"_**Pervert."**_

"_How about you shut it."_

"Morning Mins."

"Brother, how doth thou fair in the morn?"

"Well, I kinda have a headache. I went to sleep so late, my head's pounding."

"We both dozed quite along."

"I stayed up even longer just so I could watch you sleep. I just couldn't take my eyes off you."

"_**Now, you're a freaky pervert."**_

"_SHUT IT!"_

Minnie blushed. She walked up to him and kissed him to which he wholeheartedly returned. Their mouths moved against each other gently and Jr. was still certain that if she didn't need to breathe, they could do it forever. She rested her forehead against his boney one.

"Oh brother, thou's lips are incomparable to even the finest dessert in the world."

"Trust me, Minnie. I would have you forever if you would allow me."

"Thou needn't ask. Take what belongs rightfully to thee."

They kissed again, a little longer with Minnie breathing deeply on his fleshless face. They would have continued if not for the interruption.

"Princess. I mean not to interrupt such an intimate moment, but your tea is ready."

"Thank thee."

"Of course, milady."

The servant brought the tray over to the table and placed it down before bowing and leaving Minnie and Jr. to their devices. Minnie would have walked to the side of the table, but Jr. didn't want her to and picked her up by her waist, setting her on her lap, and pulling the tray over by his tentacles.

"One or two sugars?"

"T-two."

Minnie sat flushed against her brother, blinking in affectionate embarrassment and surprise.

"Milk?"

"Just a little…"

Jr. poured some and stirred before setting the plate before her and taking another spoonful of cereal over her shoulder, his left hand and arm steadying her against his ribs. Minnie sighed and brought her hand up to cup his right cheekbone.

"Oh my."

They both looked up to see Lilith in the other half of the nightie Adram had been wearing standing in the doorway.

"Am I interrupting?"

"No. It is quite alright. Please, take a seat. Wouldst thou enjoy some tea?"

"Please?"

Jr. just had to wonder when he spotted the Ornias demons sleeping in the living room; when did his house become a boarding for a bunch of demons.

_TLTS_

"C'mon, Charles."

"Ohh, I don't know young Master. Are you sure it is wise so soon to be asking Mistress Mandy for an outing to the beach? Aren't you still…?"

"Grounded? Yeah, but see if I asked, it'd be an automatic no, since even if I'd be asking for Minnie, she'd still think it'd be for me. If you asked for Mins, she'll actually think on it."

"Crafty! Now, are you sure?"

"I wouldn't worry."

_Later_

"No."

"Are you sure, Mistress?"

"Charles, are you questioning my decision?"

"N-no, milady. It's just…the young Mistress would be very put out if she were unable to go with her brother."

"I said yes for her to go, not her and Jr., who just happens to be grounded, with no supervision."

"That's why I would go."

"Charles, let's face it. You have a habit of being happy-go-lucky if left at the beach for any amount of time."

Mandy exhaled from the detailed golden pipe she was smoking from off to her left before dumping it in her ashtray and getting up.

"We're coming with you."

"A-and the Master?"

"I said we, didn't I?"

Charles nodded shakily. Even after years, a glare from Mandy could still have him shaking in his boots.

"Right."

Early afternoon found the Royals, adding Adram and Lilith to the mix, on the boardwalk of the Atlantic City beach, traces of sand underneath the feet of everyone as the stood while many of the skeletons turned human ran back and forth with the beach supplies. The Ornias demons had stayed back, not waking up when prodded to leave and Gaap promised to watch them.

"Hurry up; I want to at last sunbathe before five."

"Calm down, Mandy, they'll be done soon."

Joe was standing close to his son as he addressed Mandy from across the walk. People were beginning to stare as Senator Black and her family arrived on the beach front of Atlantic City. Men would linger more on the exposed body of Mandy, but would quickly turn away when they saw her perfection of a husband.

"Mistress, the unpacking is quite done. Would you like to adjourn down to the sands?"

"If I can lie down as soon as I get there."

Mandy started without a confirmation which made Charles actually hurry and set up the beach towel and umbrella with light speed. Mandy had just touched the towel just as Charles finished, but didn't seem to notice, acting as if he hadn't just finished. Joe came up behind.

"Thank you, Charles."

"Of course, Master."

Joe sat down next to his wife and looked on as Jr. and Minnie came down, Adram and Lilith following.

"Hey, dad? We're just gonna go down now, if that's okay?"

"Sure. Watch out for your sister."

"Got it!"

They ran down to where the water splashed to meet the sediments of the beach. Minnie gazed outward as she looked around. Everything was so clear and the sand, oh, so sensational beneath her. She ran a hand into the grainy ground and shined. Jr. came up behind her.

"How is it, sis?"

"Wonderful, brother mine. It feels so…soft until the last bit, then it is once again hardened rock."

"Wait until you feel the water."

Jr. took her hand and pulled her up to meet him. He led her down until the water was just before their feet. He dropped her hand and took another step. It was just like he remembered. Cool to the touch, but not freezing. Enough to shock him and he had a small shiver. He cupped his hands and brought it up to meet him. He looked into the pink flesh of the inside of his hand and saw the small sandy bits running along the inside. He dropped it and jumped in, the get-it-over approach the best idea to him. He popped back out and turned to his mate.

"Come one in. The water's great!"

Minnie was hesitant to even take a step forward and Jr. took notice. He emerged from the water and Minnie just stared. Hard.

The water dripped from his lean body. His hair clung to his face, framing it, making the opposite eye colors stand out. His muscles that were there moved with him. It was his skin that shone through it all. She figured him to be pale due to his deathly state most of the time, but he actually held a light gold tinge that kind of reminded her of her step father.

"…it's okay, all you got to do is trust me, okay. C'mon Mins."

"Yes, of course."

She put her hand in his and let him pull her into the water slowly. The water was so cold. It felt like a pool of ice, but it contrasted the hot sun that was beginning its blaze down her neck. Jr. smiled at his little sister and before he waded in more and crouched down so his entire body could be engulfed in the ocean.

"Alright. Let's get you your fish legs before we leave."

Most of the time, Jr. was teaching Minnie on the ways to swim, starting with doggie paddling. It looked weird, but Minnie felt she would rather start at stage one before becoming comfortable enough to lie on her back and just float. She didn't want anything touching her and she sent tentacles into the water to dart around to cut anything and everything that was in the vicinity that she felt could drown her. The waves would be a partial problem as they would swell underneath her, but Jr. kept her above at the expense of his own lungs. But she learned quickly and soon, she was chasing after her brother across the waves. After a particularly large wave, she popped out of the water to find herself alone.

"Brother? Where art thou?"

No response. She looked to shore, but was assured he wouldn't just leave without telling her. Maybe he got swept up and just needed to rearrange himself. He was dead, he didn't need air. He was taking his time though.

Meanwhile, Jr. swam below the surface, reaching towards what he believed to be his sister. His eyes blurred so he would reach, but miscalculate and he'd be actually farther than first believed. But now, he was right in front of her.

It was just a small tickle. Minnie had been so accustomed to the water; she didn't take any more notice than she would a fly landing on her head. The water was blue and clear as day, but there would still be some things she just couldn't see at all times. But then it turned into a wreathing touch and she began to giggle. It started at her stomach then wrapped around her entire body. She was writhing with laughter and couldn't take anymore. She tugged at a piece and pulled it up to her.

"Hey, Mins."

"B-brother mine, please allow for mine breath to take hold."

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Jr., my love, stop!"

"Say "I'm the best mate any girl can have"."

"Brother m-mine, thou art the g-greatest mate any woman shall have!"

Jr. stopped, but Minnie shook in the aftershocks and tried to stop giggling. Jr. started towards shore with Minnie right behind him. She still felt a tickle, though.

"Brother, have thou gotten his fill?"

"Yeah."

"Then shalt thou cease his touch upon me?"

"Minnie, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Brother, thou still tickle me even now. Please, I cannot continue."

Jr. brought both his hands up to show Minnie. The tickle was still there. On her thigh. Light, moving, soft…squishy…

"AAAHHHHH!"

"Minnie!"

Jr. shook his head as his sister ran to shore and jumped up and down like the girl she was, screaming "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!"

After the fiasco, that involved a stray and clingy jellyfish Joe was able to peel off her after he got her to stop jumping like a banshee, things began to settle. For about five minutes. It fell from the sky and hit Jr with enough force that if he didn't have on Nergal flesh, it would've knocked his head clean from his shoulders.

"OW!"

"Oops. Brad, I said stop hitting that hard!"

Jr. looked up to see a shiny helmet reflecting the sun. It was all white except for the red line going down the middle. Jr. had to wait for his mismatched eyes to realign before he could see the short stock boy.

"Hey, you okay there, kid?"

And apparently with a man's voice. Jr. stood up and grabbed the volleyball from the ground before turning to take full read on the boy across from him. He was kind of tan, with much baby fat in his face. His voice suggested he was way older, but his size was as if he were younger than Jr. himself.

"Yeah, just a little hit to the head."

"Hey, dillweed, how about you get back to getting your butt whooped. I don't have all day and the ladies need to see some more of the Brad."

The boy sighed than looked up at Jr. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Hey, you wanna play some volleyball?"

"Uhhh, I guess."

He turned to the rest of the Royals and shrugged.

"You guys want to play some volleyball."

Minnie smiled under her veil, while her mother lifted from her tan. Joe and Adram grinned and nodded. Jr. turned back and smiled.

"Cool. What's your name?"

"Kick. Kick Buttowski."

KICK BUTTOWSKI!

* * *

**I can never write in the small doses, can I? So yeah, Disney characters cameo. This will be two parted, but I'm hoping not that long for the second, but c'mon, I'm just gonna prolong the next one like I did this one...Hey, do you guys think I should branch off of this to write the shorts or just keep them up here. I mean, the second adventure will still happen up here, but for now, I won't be doing much action till like after the 10 short. And I'm trying to keep it at 500, but I most likely will break that anyway. SO think about it, branch off or keep up here and you have to review to tell me. God, help me and all these grammar and word mistakes. My mother is an English major and she would kill me if she saw this.**

**But besides that, the whole Jr. turning into more of a super freak, let me explain. He is turning thirteen soon, but I'll go with puberty hit him early on. Add that with the sense of a demonic force mixed in with the need of mating, to complete it all, I'd say he's in very deep with her running around. I know it's kind of convienient, so I'll try to let up on it, but yeah, that my explanation and I'm sticking to it.**


	17. Life and Times of the Grim Family Pt 2

"Hey, dillweed, can't take me by yourself? Asking strangers to help you out now?"

Jr. looked to Kick. The kid just sighed at him and shrugged.

"He's my brother. Can never pick your family."

Jr. just chuckled. Kick turned back to the scrawny teen on the other side of the goal.

"Can it Brad, the only reason I'm not kicking your butt right now is because Gunther isn't here to back me up against Horace."

"Just because my friend didn't go to Hungary for New Year's doesn't make it my fault."

Kick just sighed and shook his head. He turned to Jr. and looked at him with regret.

"Ya know, you might not want to actually get involved. Brad always cheats and it only heightens when he has one of his lackeys by his side."

"Don't worry; I think I can help you out a bit more than you think."

Kick smirked and crossed his arms.

"Well, aright. But get ready, he might not eve-

WHAM! Kick dug into the sand hard, his feet being the only parts sticking above the ground. Jr. raised a brow, and then grinned. He helped Kick to his feet.

"So they like playing hard ball, huh?"

"Can still back out."

"Oh, no, this just turned into my kind of game. You want to serve, or should I?"

Kick picked up the ball, and gripped it hard. Jr. was at first skeptical if whether or not Kick would actually be able to hit it over the net, but when he saw that tiny bundle of energy literally rocket into the sky and bash the volleyball into his brother's still laughing mouth, Jr. just knew he had the right partner for himself.

"Okay, shrimp paste, you asked for it!"

Brad hit it over with much force that it went high into the air. Kick bunched his muscles, but stopped suddenly when Jr. leaped into the air with the grace of a predator. His shadow veiled over the court, so it was hard for Horace to really take cover when a rocket came flying towards him. It sped past his head so face, he was still looking for the ball even after Jr. came down.

"You dork, you didn't even hit-

"Horace, how could you miss that?"

Horace turned to his boss only to see the smoke coming from the ground. His eyes widened under his green hair and his underbite fell open.

Jr. cracked his knuckles and clenched a fist with his hand. He smirked and Kick grinned triumphantly with glaring eyes.

"Oh, this is gunna suck for you."

The match didn't last long. Kick and Jr. made for a great team and Brad and Horace crumbled under their combined strength. Brad was literally twitching in the sand.

Jr. and Kick high fived with a nod.

"Your pretty good, kid."

"Eh, I try not to show off too much."

"I think you didn't show enough. With awesome moves like that, I wonder what else you can do."

Jr. smiled and shrugged at the statement and prospect of a new friend.

_TLTS_

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I'm gunna go get something to eat, okay?"

"Okay, hon, who's your little friend?"

Kick gestured to the now empty court.

"He was my partner against Brad and Horace."

"Oh, goody, well have fun you two."

She turned away and looked towards her tanning daughter.

"Brianna, would like to play some volleyball with me?"

"Sure, Mom!"

_Other side of the court_

"Adram, wanna play?"

"Eh, couldn't hurt."

Joe and Adram stepped onto the court only to find the ball in the hands of a mother with brunette hair and her blonde haired daughter. She looked up in surprise.

"Oh, sorry, we didn't expect anyone else to want to play."

"No, it's okay. Would you like to get a game?"

"Oh, sounds fun! Brianna?"

"Sure."

The girl tossed the ball to Joe. He caught it and raised it.

"Ready?"

The mother-daughter team nodded at each other. Joe and Adram looked at each other and shrugged.

"Here's it comes."

No sooner did Joe hit it over (gently, figuring his supernatural strength) did it slam back down into the sand, kicking up sediments.

Joe and Adram looked at the ball blankly out of bounds for a second then turned to look at the duo at the other side. The ladies were grinning at them.

"It's our serve, isn't it?"

Adram and Joe smirked.

"_This might just be a little fun."_

_TLTS_

"So, uh, if you don't mind me asking, but why do you have a helmet on at the beach?"

Kick looked up at Jr. and smirked.

"I'm a daredevil."

"Wait, what? Are you serious, so you, like, do stunts!"

"Yeah. I had to leave Ol' Blue, my skateboard, back at home, but I brought my surf board with me."

"Cool. Eh, I don't really do much. I can play the guitar and dance, but I haven't really tried much else."

"Shame. I really think with your agile moves, you can do just about any stunt that I've ever done."

"Wow. Thanks."

"No prob, now what to eat?"

Jr. looked down the boardwalk. He wasn't really hungry and his Nergal wasn't saying much, but he could actually sniff out pretty good food a couple of feet away from the rest of the openings.

"It think that'll be a good place."

They walked in and Kick rubbed his hands together.

"Hey, can I get a hoagie and some fries?"

"Sure, danger dude."

"Wade? What're you doing here?"

"Management sent me down as a personal server for the winter season. Hoagie and fries for danger dude and new guy?"

"Uhh, can I get a chocolate milkshake?"

"_**Ooooh, chocolate!"**_

"_Fatty."_

"_**Doesn't affect me in the least."**_

Jr. just smiled and shook his head and sat down with Kick at the table.

"So, you know the guy?"

"Yeah, he's been my friend since they made the _Food N' Fix_ at my home town."

"Where do you live?"

"Mellowbrook, Ohio. You?"

"Uhh, Megaville, New York."

"Oh, the City of Heroes, huh? Isn't that cool, all those people with superpowers and living right next to them?"

"Sure makes everyday interesting."

"Here ya go. One hoagie, fry, and cheetah chug and one choco shake. Enjoy fellas."

"Thanks Wade."

While the two boys snacked, people began to run across the boardwalk towards the way they came. Kick and Jr's heads both came up.

"What's going on?"

"_**Hell if I know."**_

"_No one asked you."_

"Don't know"

They shared a look before Kick quickly engulfed the rest of his food and they sped out of the establishment after paying. Wade flicked his hand towards them.

"New adventure for the danger dude."

Jr. and Kick ran into a gaggle of people and were hard-pressed with getting through, so much so, Jr. was truly tempted to just fly into the air with his new friend.

They finally got past the people and looked in amazement as rough breathes and strained grunts filled their ears.

Joe and Adram were playing a game of volleyball between the Buttowski ladies. It was apparent it was easier said than done as both supernatural beings were sweating while the girls looked as calm as they did starting. Joe yelled over to Honey just as he served it back over.

"How do you keep up?"

"Trust me, my younger years never left me. I still have my pep in my step."

"Guess that runs in the family, huh, Brianna?"

"You know it!"

Jr. and Kick looked on in awe, but then crossed their arms and turned to each other.

"Bet you my dad beats your mom."

"Seriously doubt, but you're on. Loser buys the winner ice cream."

"Alright."

_TLTS_

"_This woman is a demon!"_

Adram heaved another breath, but still dove for the ball as it came down. He twisted in the air and landed back on his feet as he watched his serve go for naught as Honey backhanded it with ease.

Joe was thinking along the same lines as he tried to spike the ball only for Brianna's tiny stature give her the advantage to not have to dive for the ball, only hit it back with enough force for a set up on her mother.

Joe and Adram weren't looking when they both ran for the ball. Joe was the first to jump and brought his hand up to hit it back, but he didn't account for Adram to run into his legs, toppling him and sending the ball into their side. They both stayed on the ground for a second collecting themselves.

Joe and Adram sat up and looked at each other. For fifteen minutes, they tried to beat these two into exhaustion and yet here they were, sweating like no one's business. It just seemed literally impossible for two entities of the Underworld to have this much of a problem with mortals.

Honey and Brianna readied themselves for the serve when all of a sudden, Adram waved them off.

"Forget it. I'm not trying anymore, you guys rock on."

Joe just shrugged and smiled, handing the ball over.

"I think I need to do whatever you do in the mornings. Maybe then I could keep up."

Jr's mouth dropped as he watched his father stroll away from the cheering crowd around the girls. Kick nodded in confirmation as Jr. looked towards him.

"Buttowski gene."

"That must be some stamina."

"Keeps me going."

Jr. grinned.

"So, how about that surfing?"

"Cool. I'll watch you as I enjoy my ice cream."

"Damn and here I hoped you forgot."

Kick chuckled as they walked back to the boardwalk. Once they made it back, Kick propped his board up beside him as he licked his cone.

"Ready?"

"Actually, I've never really surfed before so I'm sure I'm going to wipe out."

"Don't worry; it's mainly about keeping yourself steady and having firm control of your legs and feet. Don't worry; with reflexes like yours, you'll probably get it the first time."

Minutes later, Kick could only stare as Jr. washed up on shore, face first. He smiled sheepishly as he glanced at Jr's annoyed (not to mention sand-ridden) face before looking away.

"Eh, maybe I should help out a little."

Minnie, Adram, and Lilith watched as Kick taught Jr. how to surf a relatively small wave. Minnie couldn't help the small worry she had, but Jr. could swim and he was already dead. What more could happen to him?

"Ouch!"

Kick looked over to his new friend, who was doting on a nick on his arm, gift from the rushing sand and other oceanic objects under the salty water. If he looked deeper, he would have noticed the blood wasn't red.

"What happened?"

"I got a cut on my arm. Eh, it's not big, I'll probably forget about it. C'mon, I wanna try a bigger wave."

"Cool."

They swam out farther too where the waves were unbidden by the seabed if the shore, the foam and water rising high. Kick was almost giddy with laughter and excitement. He was so pumped to ride the waves. But first.

"Let's see what you got kid."

Jr. grinned as a particularly large wave rose up and paddled towards it with vigor. Neither boys noticed the grey nor white that accompanied the wave. Oh, well.

"YEAH!"

Jr. steered the board onto the top of the wave, his arms flung back as he balanced himself perfectly. Kick pumped his fist into the air as their family cheered him on, excluding Brad, Horace, and Mandy for obvious reasons.

Jr. pushed down into the wave before coming back up, spinning once in the air and coming down. The wave was beginning to lessen and everything began to go downhill. Kick noticed the large dorsal fin protruding out of the water fiercely and his eyes widened to saucers.

"JR! Get out of there!"

It was already set in motion. Jr. was distracted for only a second, turning back to Kick, when the shark came from underneath the board and collided into the waxed wood. Time stopped as speculators watched Jr. fly and fall into the water, the shark diving right behind. Minnie felt her heart stop.

Jr. hoped to right himself as the water fell over him.

"_**The fuck was that?"**_

Jr. ignored it as his head swam for a couple more seconds. What he needed to do was get out of the water and fast! Something had-!

CRUNCH! Jr. garbled out pain, air escaping from his lungs as he felt his hand and arm being ripped from his shoulder. He could only faintly make out the large predator that had taken the bite out of him. He clutched his stump of an arm before facing the problem at hand…

"_**Was the pun really necessary?"**_

"_It's not like I meant to!"_

"_**Hey, all I'm saying is that it was pretty…we're boned."**_

Jr's eyes gravitated towards the shark, his vision clearing up, to see the shark mutating, green flesh spilling from the ripping scales that couldn't hold in the demonic power. Jr's jaw dropped and his shoulders (at least what was remaining) sagged in disbelief. He soon shook his head.

"_Yeah. We're boned."_

_TLTS_

Kick could only stare in shock for about a couple of seconds before adrenaline rushed him and he tried to jump into the water to save his new friend.

"CLARENCE, don't you dare!"

He realized the splash of water he was waiting for didn't come and he was being dragged out the water rather roughly.

"MOM! I can't just leave him in there!"

"NO! I refuse to just sit back and watch you go dive for a shark!"

"But Jr! What do we do? Just let him get eaten!"

Honey hugged her raging son close as she finally backed away far enough for her liking. She looked regrettably into the water, almost as if she was going to jump in herself. She was beat to the punch as she watched a girl with blonde hair attempt the same thing, a man with tousled hair pulling her away.

"JR!"

"Young Mistress, you must calm down! You cannot go in there, it's too dangerous!"

Mandy growled as she realized if she didn't do something, people might actually start looking to her as if she was going to do anything. When she was young, she knew it didn't matter what she did. As much as it was the most ridiculous thing in her world, people would see her as a frail little girl. Now she was an adult and was expected of something.

"Goddamnit all! Joe! Go in and get him! We both know he can deal with it on his own, but these people don't."

The last part was lowered so that only he could hear and Joe nodded and ran into the ocean before diving hard into the foam. Onlookers held their breath as it went quiet around the area, excluding the waves crashing. Mandy rubbed the growing headache in between her eyes, but didn't show any actual tension in wondering on whether or not they would come out. They would come out of there alive or at least as alive as they showed the mortal realm.

"The bastard tried to eat me! He actually thought he was gunna eat me!"

"Calm down, son."

Everyone's jaw dropped a foot as father and son walked ashore as if a shark hadn't just tried to eat the young tween. Mandy shook her head in annoyance, but lay back again and picked up her book and sunglasses. Minnie beamed as her brother walked back towards the group.

"I had to let him fully eat me before I could take care of the problem."

"Shush, Jr. You"re too loud. These people will hear you."

"Sorry, it's just-! Argh, it makes me so freaking mad! Every single time I decided to go into the water, something has to try and eat me! What next, take a dip in a river and I get eaten by a croc?"

Joe sniggered as he and his son walked towards the group.

"Oh, Jr.!"

Jr. was once again thrown as his little sister jumped him.

"Mine heart filled with despair when thee had fallen into the waves below. Ist thou okay?"

"Yeah Mins, I'm good. Though, that's the second time something decided to want to eat me."

Kick ran up to the hugging siblings.

"Hey, man, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I got away."

"But how?"

Even Mrs. Buttowski was concerned as she rushed over.

"Yes, I'm sure that you wouldn't come out without at least some injury."

Some people were starting to gather round the miracle. It shouldn't be possible for any human to make it out of the water with a shark without some sort of bite.

Jr. laughed nervously and scratched his head.

"Uhhh, what no one ever watch the Discovery channel? One punch to the nose, it'll leave you alone."

Some people seemed to accept this, but Kick wasn't convinced, not yet. Jr. grinned at him, his sister's arms hanging from his neck.

_TLTS_

"You and your sister seem close."

Jr. looked up from his reflection in the water to look to Kick.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, she was the first person to come running to you. Usually it's my Mom or Gunther helping me out of something if I get hurt."

"Umm, yeah, Mins and me have been through a lot together. At least, since a year ago. Before that, I couldn't stand her."

"I know what you mean. My little sis, Brianna, is a serious pain in the Buttowski."

"Hehe, I used to think the same thing about Minnie. But I guess that was just because I was jealous of her. She just always knew what to do, was liked by everyone, and I couldn't stand her for it."

"What changed?"

"…she, uhh….she got hurt trying to help me. I mean, she di- I mean got broken bones and bruises everywhere. She was stuck in the hospital for a while and all I could think was how it was my entire fault. Ever since, I just stood by her. Isn't that what big brothers are supposed to do?"

"Hmmm, I guess. Brianna and me have a sort of agreement, we mess with each other, but when it comes down to the really big stuff, we're still family."

"Thought it's different when it comes to a brother like Brad?"

"Trust me, I'd rather have two Briannas than two Brads."

Jr. nodded. Shit, he'd rather Minnie be alone than having two Jr. bastards running around, before the change of watching his little sister torn apart and trying his damndest to bring her back…the self loathing still stayed and ate him. He couldn't sleep some nights in Minnie's room without waking up in a nightmare and hugging her close when she awoke to comfort him.

"_**You must get help. Beings killed themselves after something that traumatizing."**_

"_Don't worry about it…I'll be fine."_

"It's just…Minnie, after what happened, it's like all I can see is how she deserves better than me, so I'm trying all that I can to…"

Jr. turned away. Kick looked a little uncomfortable, but it was split second. He didn't like how close he and Kendall were getting, fuck the old quarrels.

"I know what you're saying man. But you have to remember, not everyone is perfect."

"_If only that were true."_

In the eyes of her older brother, Minnie was perfection incarnate.

_TLTS_

The Blacks and Co. said a quick goodbye with a friendly jab from the Buttowski ladies about if they wanted to get their butts whooped again, they need only ask. Kick told Jr. to call if he ever came to Mellowbrook. Soon, the underworld had its Royals back.

Jr. and Minnie quickly rushed upstairs, playfully racing to see who could get to the bathroom for a shower first. Grim grumbled after his return to the dead as he had only watched how fun the beach was, not truly getting to play in the water like he did long ago. Mandy said she couldn't be seen with him anymore, now that the human race was becoming smarter.

Said lady of the lands made her way to the living room in her lingerie after her shower and clicked on the television. It was wired to pick up cable anywhere. Even in the down below.

"-So I told him, suck mah di-"

"-Hey, Riley, didn't granddad-"

"-in other news, Megaville, dubbed the City of Heroes aptly, has fallen today. The destruction was massive and all weep for the ones who used to protect them, no dead at the hands of a mysterious giant red monster. Many believed Senator Black to have also been a part of the dead, but so far, only the remains of superpowered beings are of the death toll. We assume she and her family were evacuated."

Grim came running back into the living room.

"Mandy! Dere are a great numbah a' powerful souls in de humahn realm! Whut's appened?"

Mandy's glare hardened with a glint.

"Megaville has been devastated."

* * *

**I AM SOOOOOO SORRRRRY. Calculus has kicked my ass twenty ways from Sunday and I lost the will to write for a while,. Those who are waiting for Our love, I will be right on it. The end chapter is being written, but I want to make it great, since it's, ya know, the end. But I digress. Did anyone like the ending? I feel like I should have done it earlier in the story since Mimi's been in the Underworld for a while, but I'll most likely fix it in to match. From now on, send me a list of words to do shorts from. You'll probably get like a 1,000 words or less from here on out until I feel like putting in the second adventure part. Ya'll gunna love dat!**

**Till next time, Animaster/Doragoon out.**


	18. LTGF:  Small

_Told you it'd be quick._

_Prompt: Small_

* * *

Jr. had just awoken in the morning. He wasn't heading to the bathroom yet, just taking a quick peek into Minnie's room to check her when he caught the oddest thing in the world.

Minnie was grabbing at her chest with a somber look in her eyes. Her frown deepened when she let go, but that still didn't change how saddened she looked. Jr. felt a sense of duty. That was his mate, damnit! She should never be sad.

"Minnie?"

The Princess quickly jumped up to look at her brother and her face blushed hard.

"Brother, you've awoken. I did not hear thee."

"What are you doing?"

"N-nothing thou should concern thyself with. I am merely giving upon myself an examination for anything out of the ordinary."

"Yeah, cuz grabbing your boob to check the size is a serious examination."

Minnie blushed hard, but turned away from him. Jr. had been about to chuckle, but noticed the slump in Minnie's shoulders. He crossed the distance between them and grasped Minnie's shoulders in his hands. His boney face dropped to kiss her head.

"Mins?"

Minnie seemed to decide within herself.

"…mate, might my form be…lacking in a way?"

Jr. had to raise a brow.

"What do you mean?"

"Mine, er, physical feature, per se. Do I seem lacking in thine eyes?"

Jr's face shifted from confused to abhorring shock. Did his sister ask him if she was too small?

"Um, Minnie, technically you're still only twelve."

"Oh, I knew this venture would prove idiotic in nature."

Minnie hide her face in her hands, but only for the time Jr. allowed when he pull them away.

"Minnie, first, you aren't stupid; a little silly, maybe, but not stupid. And you're still growing…did the trip to the beach bring this on?"

Minnie turned away, embarrassed at her brother mate's accurate intuition. Jr. chuckled a little.

"Why? Minnie you're still beautiful."

"Oh, love, but I am still underdeveloped. I've seen the girls at the beach my age and have a chest three times my size. My body is, but a fraction of what mother has."

"Mom's older. She had you beat before you even existed in her stomach. And the girls at the beach just have different genes."

"Along with the the dairy that's provided for them."

Still, Minnie seemed to consider this. Jr. tilted her chin to press his mouth against hers. They intertwined and gripped harder. Jr. slid his arms up and down, caressing her arms when a dirty thought crossed his mind. He broke the kiss, shit eating grin on his face.

"And 'sides, I think your butt is coming in nicely."

He plucked it, much to the utter horror of his sister mate.

"Brother!"

* * *

**Heh, well that wasn't so hard. Maybe I just wasn't ready to stop writing that long before I said let's put an end to it. Also, just to note, they are gunna be touchy feely, but then again they're twelve. And I've decided; Jr's birthday will be January 12, 2010 (Day of the Haitian Earthquake) and Minnie's will be March 11, 2011 (Day of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami). They're natural disasters just because. In the comic, Mandy goes on her terrorist spree in 2001 and I had to account for her growing. Figured it wouldn't take long before she became top when Death asked her to marry him. Give a year for Jr. and a year for Minnie and then I decided to time skip. Kick B. was just along for the ride, especially since everyone's grown up now.**


	19. LTGF: Ponderings

_Aint stopping the flow._

_Prompt: Ponderings_

* * *

Quickly after the Cthuhlu incident, Jr. noticed how actually bad it was to know Minnie's every feeling. Well, maybe he was exaggerating it a bit.

It was actually good to know when his sister mate was feeling down so he could bring her up. Knowing her cheerfulness, her annoyance, her adoration made his life as a future spouse easy enough. The only thing was how these feelings projected onto him.

He would not only tense as the feelings came, he would remember the pain that came with her hurt. To know she was in pain was worse for him. He could actually project how Minnie in pain truly felt to him.

But there was an upside. Her happiness, her joy made his heart flutter. He could feel them ten times stronger and wish to pull Minnie close to him, grasping her body close to him. The current situation was a bit of a testament to it.

Playing twister had been easy enough when it had just been a brother and sister playing a game. Now, it was two mates, one of whom's emotions were triggered by the others. Rubbing of skin, flesh so close he could breathe in her scent. It was driving him to the brink of madness. Alas, the game ended five minutes after it started.

"_I should be able to control myself better."_

"_**Boy, I knew you weren't gonna be able to keep up with this charade any longer."**_

Minnie was surprised to see her brother fall within such short time of the game beginning. Nergal's had great flexibility and with him only bones and an eyeball that tentacled itself into him, he was a sure win. It was when she accidently brushed up against his chest at an odd angle of her legs, he quickly folded.

"Borhter, thou seems distracted. Art thou okay?"

He nodded vigorously, his face slightly pink. She frowned at brushed his forehead with her own, her face more grim when he reddened further.

"Thou must be ill. I shall fetch water to cool thine body."

Minnie left, her brother watching every movement. He sagged in relief once she turned the corner.

"Why the hell can't I control myself?"

"_**Cause you're a hormonal ridden boy in the brink of puberty."**_

"So? I'm still twelve, this shouldn't be happening to me."

"_**What other child have you been around? Since the beginning, it was just you and the Mistress. No interaction meant the furthest crush you've had has been your sister. Which is still perverted."**_

"Hop off, geez…I wonder if Minnie gets the same thing?"

"_**She will, once you let her feel them."**_

"Wait, what?"

"_**You haven't allowed for your sister to feel these stirrings because you haven't let them go. You try to repress it. She doesn't"**_

"So, if I just let myself feel these things, she would as well?"

"_**Pretty much, though I would hold off on too much. Letting it all loose could lead to…tangled tentacles in a writhing heap."**_

Jr. pretty much didn't get it at first. Tangled tentacles? What did he…oh-OH! Jr. blushed hard enough to look the color of a black cherry. His Nergal laughed and he frowned as he tried to cool his face to no avail.

"_Well, if I let myself feel it…"_

Jr. thought about how his sister-mate felt against him. She was really soft and fair skinned. Her smile, her golden hair that was a reminiscent of the sun, her eyes that held so much emotion…her lips…against his…crushed as they rolled around the floor, trying to get into a more comfortable position.

CRASH! Jr. was pulled from his daydream to hear a loud thunder come from the kitchen. He jumped up, knowing that Minnie had just gone in there and she might be in danger. He had only just entered the hallway when he saw his sister-mate walking with a purpose towards him. He couldn't see her eyes, just the slight sway of her hips as she strode past the various murals and sculptures. He finally was able to lock eyes with her and gulped. Those eyes that had previously been cloudy grey were now emerald green. Sharp like a predator, watching his every twitch like a hungry tigress.

"Mine love, thou's wish to run is most imminent."

Minnie grinned and let her tongue glide over her lips.

"_**Oh, yeah. There's that old Nergalian romance."**_

"Eep! Yeah, time to run."

* * *

**Okay, so I was a little skeptical I would be able to figure this one out. I need you guys to give me prompts so I can get ideas. They'll be up faster now that I don't have school for the summer. Celebrate!**

**And I'm trying to keep them from doing anything freaky, but I have an overly sexual mind. Anyone mind being beta, at least to censor things.**


	20. LTGF: Fear

_Aint stopping the flow._

_Prompt: Fear_

* * *

Jr. nearly shot out of his bed. His bones rattled as he shook in fear and the wind coming from the opening on his window didn't help. He went and opened it up, the cool air rushing past him was, actually, calming him. Cold air seemed to do wonders for the body and he sighed as an especially rushing gale blew into his room.

"_There's no way I can go back to sleep now."_

He exited his room quietly and made his way downstairs. All the servants and chefs were asleep, the knights on moon duty the only ones roaming the halls. He nodded to them and made his way to the kitchen. A pitcher and glass later, he was in the living room on the sofa. Apparently he wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.

"Hey, look who's up."

He lay down on the couch, adjacent to the chair Adramelech was sitting in.

"Yeah, I, uhhh, had a nightmare."

Jr. shivered. It was just a nightmare; this freaked him because it was so…clear, like he was really there and not in some dream.

"Ah, you too? Damn, something must be going around."

Jr. chuckled, his fears momentarily abated. He smiled at his Flame Guardian. Adram had stayed with them after the Cthulhu incident and had moved into a room just down the hall from the Prince and Princess. He would have Lilith over at times, but mostly it was just him.

"What talk about it?"

"About my dream? Psh, I don't even know what the heck it is. I mean, usually when I dream, it's about fire and lava. This one, someone was talking…no, chanting, like trying to summon somebody. I think that person's me."

Jr. tilted his head to the side and looked at his guardian critically. His father told him a lot and with his home schooling, he didn't leave out much. Premonitions was one of the first things he would talk about in the mornings, said the fastest way to remember them was right after you woke up to them.

"Can you understand what the person is trying to say?"

"No, just…they sound like someone I know. That's what scares me."

Jr. seemed to consider this. Many premonitions would have someone you knew personally telling you something. This person could either be dead, dying, or just that much spiritual power to channel themselves to you. His dream was no different.

"What about you, what happened in your dream?"

"It was my sister dying again, like usual, only this time, she got to strangling me for not saving her."

"Damn."

Adram seemed to buy it, but Junior had actually lied through his teeth. He closed his eyes as he remembered his dream.

_TLTS_

_**Jr. was in darkness. Not unlike when he would dream about his sister's broken body, only this time, there was no body.**_

"_**Hello…hello…lo?"**_

_**Jr. could hear the echo bounce off the walls of the black dome he was in. He began to walk then run when he got nowhere. This was not cool.**_

"_**Brother!"**_

"_**Minnie!"**_

_**Jr. began to sprint, the sound of his sister-mate, screaming in anguish, literally was frightening him to his core.**_

"_**Minnie! Where are you?"**_

"**_Jr! P_**_**lease, thou must save me!"**_

"_**I'm coming, I'm-!"**_

_**Jr. hit an invisible wall. His sister's scream however seemed to get closer and closer until it reverberated in his skull. He fell to his knees, green tears running down his cheekbones. He shook his head like a mad dog when it echoed loudly.**_

"_**I'm sorry, please, I'm sorry."**_

_**Jr. sobbed as the sound seemed to crush him. Then all of a sudden, it stopped. Dark, brown sugar hands touched his back and slid to his chest, pulling him up gently. He let go of his head and grabbed the hands. He thought to pull them off, only for his hands to cup them just as lovely to his chest as he would MiniMandy's. A head rested on his backbone and sighed inaudibly; the breath ghosting his ribs. He turned and looked into the black swirls he would see on occasion. He knew this girl.**_

"_**Mimi?"**_

_**She mouthed, **__"Help me."_

_**The all of a sudden, her chest exploded in his face, blood splattering him. He looked in horror at the blade that cut out from her dead body and return to its handler; Minnie. Mimi fell to the ground, eyes now lifeless. Minnie swiped the blade back before bringing it back at Jr., severing his skull in half.**_

_TLTS_

Jr. shook his head and looked to where Adram was…had been. He didn't hear him leave.

"Brother?"

Jr. turned to face his sister-mate. She looked so lovely in that gown, his lover, his mate…and his killer.

* * *

**There it is, only a day after I put up the other. Yeah, I'm trying to make these quick so i'm popping these out as soon as they come to mind. And now, I have the help that i need. My new beta, Blood Brandy, is already on the ball, gave it to me 40 mins after I sent it to em. Hopefully, with his help, we'll get this story to it's end. I'm so happy, I'ma party at the clubs tonight!...I'm joking, I don't have anywhere to go, trust me. In any case, this will speed the process up and any errors or faux pas**


	21. LTGF: Touch

_Everyone just has to be perverted. No lemons until their 13, geez._

_Prompt: Touch_

* * *

It was the night before that Jr. had the dream. It still filled him with terror and horror, and he hoped to God he was just having nightmares the way he did after he turned her body back. But hope and optimism wasn't what one could count on, especially if you lived in the Underworld. He knew that dream had to be premonitory, had to be a part of something bigger. If only he could figure it out, maybe he could stop it.

"_Yeah, right, Minnie's probably gonna be put in danger even if I did know. Just like Clockwork said, what shall be shall be, you can't change what will happen, only alter the ending."_

"_**What a load of bull. You actually listen to that pant-less loser?"**_

"_He let me change the past and keep you to save Minnie! If it meant Minnie's safety and security, then I'd do it in a heartbeat."_

"_**Boy, you are obsessed."**_

"_Kiss my ass."_

"Brother, what didst thou say?"

Jr. looked up in surprise. He hadn't meant for anything to come out, but apparently talking to someone in your head made you less aware of your surroundings, which was incredible to the fact that Minnie lay right in front of him, back to his chest.

"Nothing, Mins, nothing at all."

Minnie smiled and snuggled deeper, trying to burrow herself in him. Her head rested on his outstretched arm, her breath ghosting his Nergalian bicep. It had long fallen asleep, but he didn't mind, especially with his other arm wrapping round her midriff, his pajama top ridding up her body.

This was how he wanted to sleep, his sister-mate so close to him, it seemed that the two were actually one entity, although, he preferred his flesh to his bone form. He could still feel his love, it just…

"Minnie, would you rather me be alive then dead?"

"Speak, your mind clearly, mate."

"Would it have been better if I had been alive, better for you I mean?"

"Brother, thy question is reminiscent to whence you say mine body is of no concern, your heart is within my cage."

"But this is different."

"How so?"

"Maybe, if I hadn't been dead, hadn't been the son of the Reaper, people wouldn't kidnap me and you wouldn't have had to rescue me."

Minnie turned to him, her hands coming up to meet his cheeks. Jr. quickly readjusted himself, his arms pushing her deeper into him, his hands deliciously close to grabbing her backside; it certainly didn't help that she arched her back, pushing said backside into his hand.

"_**I'd grab it."**_

"…_shut up. I'm ignoring the fact she even put it there."_

"_**It is right there, and wasn't it you who said that it was coming in nicely. Your thoughts on said matter were bit more…mature than what you had said anyhow."**_

Jr. just sighed, but did take the chance and ghosted her derriere slowly before sliding it back up.

"Brother mine, my love for you is as pure as the whitest feather and unwavering as God's shield."

"It's kinda ironic, a half demon having the most faith in god himself."

"It matters little. My love for thee is exactly how it should be and whatever your countenance may be, whether mirroring death or a face of your own, it shall never change."

Jr. grinned happily. It hadn't fully convinced him, but maybe he could put a little optimism into this one thing. They leaned in and kissed. Minnie whimpered in ecstasy, the feeling of his hands brushing the skin of her thighs sending tingles into her body. Jr. rolled his tongue against her lips, hoping to try something he had seen done many times, but couldn't see how someone could enjoy it.

The opening of her mouth and the meeting of their tongues did change his mind, however.

* * *

**Yeah...review, ya know. Just click that little blue button, write something, not even anything special.**


	22. LTGF:  Posessive

_I'm hoping this would make more of a conflict in Minnie._

_Prompt: Possessive_

* * *

"Kick, try to angle it up higher!"

Jr. looked on along with the pudgy kid who was Kick's best friend, encouraging him to try the stunt a little more extreme. With the angle, Kick's board would allow him to fly up higher, giving him more time to try more tricks. It was also dangerous because the trick would require more force on the board, so when the person doing the trick flew from the half pipe, the board would pull away from the rider. And that was all the more reason to try it.

"Come Kick, you can do it!"

"YEEEAAAAH!"

Kick screamed his enjoyment as he flew into the air in excitement, his arms held high above his arms. That was until his board sidled up beside him in the rushing wind. He smiled at it for a couple of seconds then frowned and glared straight ahead as he began his decent.

"Aw, biscuits."

_TLTS_

*THUMP*

"Oh my."

"Oh, ignore it. It's probably my brother and his stunts again. So, do you compete?"

"Compete?"

"Pageants?"

"Oh, no, mine interests lie on the line of the arts in dance."

"Oh, so you're a ballerina?"

"Yes, I find it most expressive. To find thy emotions in movement of the body is an extraordinary thing for me."

"I figured when you came in your outfit, it's cute."

"Thank you."

"One or two sugars?"

"Two, please."

Brianna dropped two cubes of sugar into the dainty white cup of tea and one in her own. She smiled as Minnie took a sip, sitting in the correct position of tea parties.

"It's nice to have someone have tea with me who can actually speak. Mr. and Mrs. Bear rarely talk, they're so quiet! And I'd rather not have any of my brother's company."

"Why?"

"One can't sit still for too long before something breaks and the other stinks so bad, that the smell does the breaking for him."

Minnie giggled a little.

"And how about your brother, does he have a semblance of human nature?"

"Actually, mine brother does actually behave unlike most big brothers, as hard as it sounds truth."

"Really? Does he do tea with you?"

"Yes, more than the occasion."

"Oh, man! I wish I had a brother like that."

"We weren't always as close as you would believe. Mine brother actually used to detest me, tried his damndest to stay from my presence."

"He hated you?"

"I…do not like to mind that thought."

"Yeah, I guess I'd wouldn't like it if my brother's hated me; either of them. Guess that's why we have family, can't hate 'em if we tried."

"_An almost certainty, in the case of mine brother and myself…"_

"Especially if my brother was as cute as yours is."

Minnie's eye twitched in unison with the thought.

"What dost thou mean?"

"Well, Jr. is really cute! I mean, Brad looks like a gopher and Kick…well; he could probably get some of my friends to like him, if he wasn't always glaring or trying something stupid."

*CRASH*! Both girls jumped in fright as a sound outside echoed into the window. Minnie eeped and Brianna sighed as the echo died down.

"See, like that! God, Kick is always doing something that either gets him hurt or in the hospital."

"Does that not worry you?"

"Nah, he always gets hurt. We just kinda accepted it, but I digress."

"Dost thou not care for thy brother's safety?"

"Yeah, I do, but after the sixth injury, what's the point? Your brother, on the other hand, doesn't look like the type to want to get hurt a lot. I wonder if I can get him to like me? You wouldn't mind, would you?"

"_By the Army of Hell, I would!"_

"I…I think he has someone he likes."

"Aw, really? Well, maybe I can get his mind off of her and to me. I'd love to have someone that cute catering to me, especially if he loves tea parties."

Minnie was beginning to feel the stirrings in her demon blood begin to boil. This little…girl thought she could get her brother to like her! Jr. was Minnie's and no one else's! That mating was between the two of them.

"Mine brother is very…"

"Maybe with something to eat, I wonder if I can get Mom to help me cook."

"…focused on one girl at the moment…"

"I wonder what he likes."

"…and I feel that it would be awkward…"

"What do you think?"

"NO!"

Brianna leaped back in surprise at Minnie's outburst.

"No, I do not believe it wise. It makes it almost an uncomfortable thought."

Brianna relaxed slightly before she sat down again. She shrugged a little and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess having one of my friend's brothers as a boyfriend would be a little weird. Still, it's an interesting thought."

Minnie let out a breath of relief and looked out the window before she took another sip of her tea.

"_I shall never let him go."_

_TLTS_

"So, Minnie, how did tea with Brianna go?"

"I wish not to speak about it."

Jr. was looking at his sister puzzled as they made their way back to the portal to home.

"Why? What happened?"

"I do believe I shall have to battle for your affections."

She continued walking as Junior let that stew in his mind.

"Wait? Did Brianna say something?"

"I believe cute was the word that came from her thoughts."

"…She said I'm cute?"

Minnie didn't say anything, her expression blank, not unlike her mother's. Jr. smirked and raised a brow before she came behind her, taking her hand.

"Hey."

Minnie turned to him, but didn't change her emotionless face.

"Even if she did like me, first off, she's a little immature. Second, what do you have to worry about? I _mated _you and only you. Don't you think that counts?"

"Well, thy demon within has been prone to a poly-amorous nature. There isn't truly a limit to the mates a Nergal can have."

Junior's expression went blank, _Multiple? Oh, geez._

"That's what that sonuva…"

"What?"

"Nothing! Look, it's only gonna get worse when we get older, especially for you since you're cute and all and you have a great butt. Wait, that last one wasn't supposed to come out."

Minnie smiled at him and kissed him before setting her head against his collar.

"No one will come between us, Mins, I promise."

"_I hope…"_

* * *

**_So yea, there it is. If you like it, ya know, create a little sentence or two for me and BB. We work for you guys so you're appreciation, matters._**

**_Story by: Animaster/Doragoon  
_**_**Beta by: Blood Brandy**_


	23. LTGF:  Motive

_Remember people, this universe has Minnie still alive, not a living corpse. Some things are the same, some things are changed, and some things will actually be different all together. But I promise, Junior will by the end, have to leave to become the Afterlife General he was supposed to be. Oh yeah, and have ya'll seen the newest PPGD! Fucked up man, just all wrong._

_Prompt: Motive_

"_Hmmm, it's a good ding I got ta Nostradamus before he predicted more futures. I don dink Obama would have lived ta see his Presidency if he had tol da world."_

Grim walked down the halls of his castle, the Book of Death Play in his hands as he relived the most important times a death was needed before the time the person was truly was supposed to die. Nostradamus was more of the important people who needed to die before he predicted the coming for the first black President.

Grim shivered as he saw what would have happened if McCain became President. The Senator wasn't bad, just had too many screws loose in his head.

"I wunda if I should speak ta Clockwork bout dis oda one…hmm?"

Grim looked up to see Gaap standing in his study, looking out the window into the dark abyss the Underworld had to offer. He snapped his book closed, but Gaap only turned slowly, not the least bit startled. It kind of annoyed Grim, but also unnerved him.

Grim had been on the surprise of Death game once Mandy brought him to his knees and he was on a roll, especially during the pregnancies of Jr. and Minnie. Even the supernatural feared him to a tee. This one should not be any different.

"You do realize dat privacy is a common courtesy of dose who are guests in a'nuder's house?"

"I apologize. I was so interested in the library; I guess I just wandered in."

"Mmm, just so long as you didn't touch nutin'. I knew a person who was always touching tings dey weren't suhpposed ta."

"Hmm."

Gaap continued to look outside as Grim shuffled his way to his desk. He set down the Book of Death Play and looked to his library, pulling out another book, one that had the front cover the face of a disfigured monster and pulled a scroll from within his desk, pulled his quill and ink and started on his work. It was quiet for a while, but Grim couldn't stand it when there was a presence while he worked. If you were gonna be there, you might as well converse.

"So, what breed are you from?"

"Emotions."

"Ahh. What emotions?"

"Love and hate. It's kind of conflicting."

"I would suppose so."

"I actually was spawned from within the circles of Hell."

"Really? Well, you're one of da specials! Whydja leave?"

"Reasons of my own, if that's okay with you?"

Grim grunted his approval, nodding as he dipped his quill again into the vial of ink.

"Dat's okay. Secrets are da trade of every supernatural."

"Yeah."

Once again, the only sound that filled the air was the scratch of Grim's quill against the paper. Gaap touched the window as he saw himself, breathing deeply and closing his eyes.

"So, does da fires of Hell burn just as brightly as da eyes of da Devil as dey say?"

Had Grim looked up, he would have caught a glimpse of the red in Gaap's eyes as they snapped open before they turned back to where Grim was sitting.

"Yes. Exactly like the flames of Hell."

"Sounds frightening."

"Well, someone who has all the power to kill you, you'd be afraid as well."

"True dat!"

"So, what are you afraid of?"

"Losing me scythe. Not dat it ain't appened before, but for me ta lose me scythe is dangerous. I try ta keep it from reaching certain hands who would wish ta do something wit it dat could very well tear the realms apart. I don fear da lost of me scythe, I fear what could happen if I don get it back in time."

Gaap nodded in understanding.

"I guess we all fear that which could destroy us. We're supernatural, but even the supernatural have that which could erase us from existence."

Grim nodded in approval as Gaap walked to the book shelf and place a book back.

"What were ya readin?"

"_Unleashing the Realms; Portals and Dimensions._"

"Good read, eh? Get ta learn about all da worlds we live around."

"Actually, just two worlds in particular."

"Oh, yeah? What's dat?"

"The portal between Heaven and Hell."

"Wait, what?"

Silence met Grim as he looked around. Gaap was gone.

**So yeah, it's almost time to get back to plot points, secret enemies, fluff with on extra person joining us. I mean, if you haven't figured out who the next mate is, just...just don't become a detective. All I'm saying. Oh yeah, and is every skimping on writing little notes to your authors. C'mon, man, it's just not cool to leave me nd BB hanging. Torturous!**

**Written by: _Animaster/Doragoon_**

**Beta by: _Blood Brandy_**


	24. LTGF: Persist

_Alright, we know it was a long time, but my beta was out for little bit and I was a little lazy these past few days. Don't worry, we'll get back to more chapters later. In the meantime, lets answer some reviews!_

_To the Anon review roro: I know, right? I think Jr and Minnie should be an actual couple for Grim Tales. And to answer the whole lemon thing, I want to do it, I swear I do, but I made this particular storyline with online teenage thoughts. Now, if all my readers were really adamant about it, I'd probably do a separate, M-rated story about like the in betweens, like the slow build up to the lemon._

_To the review Numbervania: Thanks! It's actually nice to know how much people like my story, especially since I deviated from how the story is in the comic. Adram is a rendition of Axel, not Roxas. And I would love to use your "Midnight" prompt. I'll probably use it just before the story picks up again.  
_

_To the review Lord Xantos A. Fowl: Yeah, pretty much. I wanted Mimi to be a part of this story as much as she could.  
_

_To the review aza7-aza207: I know man, I realize the last couple of chaps are pretty much filler or only slight plot movers, but I wanted a calm down time. I hope with the next couple of chapters, you can get excited for what happens next.  
_

_Prompt: Persist_

* * *

"Do it better this time!"

Jr. stood up and jumped up and down a little to stretch his legs. He held his left leg out to start, lifting it up while leaning back. Having no bones and being slightly weightless helped, but only oh so much. He twirled around and leaped, bowing off into the imagined crowd. He reached out to his left as if he was yearning for something and in his mind's eye, he was. His fair haired beauty was just behind that door, he could just nearly touc-

"You aren't leaning FAR ENOUGH! AGAIN!"

"_Fucking hell! This crazy bitch will kill me!"_

The play _Ruby Gloom: Dark Nights_ was to premiere within three weeks. The members of the reality show had been excited that they were so popular to have made it to at least a play; Skull Boy especially. The director was hoping to get his play into the big screen, but first, he had to make to opening night. Which Jr. was hoping to do, but the factor that Minnie's ballet instructor, Olga Atronomonov, was trying to kill him didn't help his chances. It was almost as if she were taking out frustrations she had on him. She was nowhere near this cruel to Minnie, not that he'd want her to be.

"_God, help her if she was."_

Once again, he began his routine, actually getting halfway into his motions when Olga, literally, whipped at him with leather that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"I don't care if you are the Prince of the Underworld; if you can't get it right, I'll get someone else! Now try again!"

Jr. began his motions, but for every step he took and every movement he made, she whipped his already exhausted body. The last one almost made him crumble before her. Still, he tried. For Minnie; she was counting on him.

But Olga wasn't making this easy.

"You are pathetic. I've seen your sister go twice as long with only half the encouragement. You really are a Prince: spoiled, naïve, unable to do for himself. Not knowing what he has in his hands and taking it for granted. Humph."

Jr. let anger surge. He lashed out at her.

"Why are you doing this, huh?"

Olga faced away from him, but her eyes glanced to his prone body.

"Why are you treating me like this?"

"I do this because I will not allow you to make a mess of my perfect little Princesses performance! You, who ignored her feelings of sisterly love, ostracized her when she needed a shoulder to lean on, dare come back into her life, her now wondrous life and think you can destroy it from the inside out?"

"You are a part of the group of older brother's that younger siblings fear the most. Not the ones who beat on them or bully them. No, you are of the ones who hate their younger siblings, that alike Cain and Abel."

The monologue was one thing, but when she referred to him as the envious brother who killed his own flesh and blood because of that hate that festered, it was like a stab as his own person. Sure, he made mistakes, ones that he'd never forgive himself for, but he didn't need everyone to throw them out in plain sight, especially when they didn't know what the _fuck_ they were talking about.

Olga turned with an air of rage and bold strictness of her body. Jr. stood and faced her.

"No!"

She turned back to him.

"I'm not like that, not anymore. I want to be the older brother she needs and wants. I know I have made mistakes in the past, but still, I want to try...it's her decision if I'm good enough or not."

"And do you truly think that will be enough? My big brother loved me, like an older brother should. He was good enough and had I been there when he needed it…How do I know you will be able to keep her safe? Little Boy Death, you are so much more wrong than you realize. She needs someone stronger than you ever could be."

_TLTS_

"_I won't let it happen. SHE ISN'T RIGHT!"_

"You must be able to utilize not your abilities, but your instincts. Nergal's rely on nothing, but what they feel with the slightest breadth of air and shiver of hair. We are feline in likeness, but demonic in nature."

Jr. dodged the spikes erupting from the ground. He couldn't utilize his wings because the time it took for them to sprout from his back, the spike would rush up to meet his face. Not cool. Until he could catch some ground on them, he would have to just keeping moving. His uncle wouldn't let up, either.

"If you wish to protect her fully, you must be able to rely on nothing, but what you feel is the right course of action. Listen to your guts, otherwise…"

Jr. was stabbed up his ribs, dislocating some bones. More spikes rose and he was truly trapped.

"Ummm, how do I get out?"

"That's for you to decide."

Jr. could barely move around and before he could use any demon powers, he needed to reattach himself. Then he thought about his Reaper powers. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, hoping he could get this right.

He felt the ground roll underneath him, but another spike pushed out. He slide onto it to the tip and reformed himself, transforming from liquid to solid once more.

"Hah!"

He held onto the tip and branched out, sprouting his wings. He flew into the air, but NJ wasn't going to allow him a reprieve. He formed a rifle with his hands and let loose on Jr. The Prince of the Underworld ducked and dodged the oncoming bullets before he flipped once in the air and burst straight for his uncle. NJ wouldn't stop unless Jr. took to his instincts and his instincts were telling him he would have to battle his uncle to get him to stop.

Nergal Jr. was surprised, but not too much. Having both powers with the Reaper side dominant made it easy for Jr. to control himself and utilize both powers at once. His Reaper powers were dominant because he was dead before he got his Nergal powers. If he got his Nergal powers before he had his Reaper powers, the two would collide, but ultimately, Nergal would win out. The Nergalian would take over or at least make the Reaper inside submit. Jr. would be a fascinating thing to watch. He and Minnie were born Nergalian. If Jr., who was technically human, were to gain Nergal powers while he was alive, he would've been something NJ never seen before; a human turned demonic. Indeed, a rare sight to see.

He wasn't too wrapped up in his thoughts to not take notice of his nephew speeding towards him. He aimed at him, but Jr. was swerving, make it difficult to target him. He would forego the rifle and traded it for claws; chained ones. He threw his hand out, tossing the sharp nails out and cutting the ground where Jr. was flying over. He retracted them and threw them again, repeating this action in hopes of making a grab for the Hybrid. One of them caught in one of Junior's wings and he quickly tossed another to wrap around the other wing.

Jr. knew if he didn't do something quick, he would be trapped so he skidded to the ground and pulled. He quickly noticed his uncle was stuck in his boney extensions. That's it! He took what he learned in ballet class and twisted his body around, catching the nails in more and more. NJ was flung off his feet and dragged to the ground. Jr. didn't stop, allowing for the claws to become more entangled and his uncle to be dragged further towards him, discombobulating him further before he could catch his bearings.

Once NJ realized he was still, he looked up quickly to find a claw looking him in his eyes. Jr. was daring him to make a move, not that he would actually attack unless provoked.

NJ smirked and relaxed his shoulders, allowing for the claws to sag from Jr's wings. The claw never moved from his face.

"_He doesn't trust me. Good."_

He retracted his nails and got up, but his nephew kept his eye on him, the sharp ends of his wings trained on him. He nodded in approval.

"Never trust those who are under your heel. Besting them then turning your back will give them an advantage at attacking you."

Jr. dropped his hand. He looked at the flesh recede into his hoody and he sighed. NJ took notice and looked down.

"What's up?"

"…"

NJ sighed and walked to the cliff of the moat surrounding the castle. He patted the ground next to him and Jr. walked over.

"I know I haven't exactly been the greatest of uncles. Once Minnie grew into a little girl, my focus changed from you both to just her. I understand how that hurts, to be alone at times. I guess that's why I focused so much on her; I didn't want her to have a childhood like mine, ostracized because everyone thought you were different.

Turns out I made it like that for you. Don't try to deny it."

Jr. had begun to speak, but the general stopped him. He returned to being small.

"I understand you felt like everyone was giving Minnie more time of day than they were you, but please understand, I didn't mean for it to be like that. That's a mistake I wish I can take back."

Junior thought back to when the instructor yelled at him, told him he wasn't good enough.

"…Do you really think Minnie is safe being in love with me?"

"…I…it doesn't matter what I think."

"But you're her father. It matters not just to me, but to her, especially her. She loves you very much, just like me."

"She…you...damnit. I…when I found out that you were mated, I wanted to do nothing, but separate you both. Incest is not just taboo, it's a social un-normalcy that would make her the very thing I didn't wish for her; a freak."

Jr. felt his anger rise. NJ knew it, but Jr. needed to hear this. He asked for it.

"She will be. You can't keep this a secret forever, no matter how much you try or hide. Things will come out and there's nothing you can do about it. People will sneer and talk behind you. It's at that point you must keep her safe. Comfort her and protect her. I know you can do it, even if I didn't believe it at first."

Jr. looked down into the mix of bones and flesh the moat was created of. He smiled

"Thank you, Uncle Nergal."

"Oh, don't thank me yet, kid. Now that you're her mate, you'll be taking over tea party time."

"…Damnit."

NJ laughed with true vigor for the first time…in a long time.


	25. The Midnight Chime

_Hey peoples! It's time for the adventure part of the story to begin again and with it, a plot that will most assuredly bring about an end to the fun and games. Spirits will be tested, both mentally and literally. Let the endgame begin!_

_Prompt: Midnight_

* * *

After weeks of practice, timing, scripting (and training if you so happened to mated to your sister), the play was finally there. Well, almost.

Jr. snored loudly, making Minnie giggly with delight at the sight of her love.

"Brother mine, thou must awaken. Thy performance is imminent, 'tis nearly nightfall."

Jr. merely turned towards her voice, reached for her and grabbed quickly, his Nergalian reflexes unmatched. Minnie squealed with laughter as Jr. pulled her closer. The delightful sound awoke the prince and Jr. stretched and yawned.

"Thank goodness, I feared thou would sleep the day away. We have a play that is most dependent on our attendance, my love."

Jr. murmured an agreement before kissing her and walking to his closet. Jr. could barely open his eyes, but all he needed was his towel. Granted, his closet was a complete mess, so walking into it was a danger zone. Only he was brave (or rather sleepy enough) to walk in there without fear.

CRASH! "ARRGGGH!" Junior yelled, causing Minnie to wince as she heard a catastrophe happening within the confines of the dungeon that was her brother's closet.

Jr. stumbled out the clothes that were attached to him and pushed through, holding his towel out so that it didn't get tangled along with him. Minnie smiled piteously as she watched her now up and bedraggled brother exit his room.

_TLTS_

Olga was waiting impatiently as the Black siblings arrived with their mother at the studio. Before they could get to the theater, their costumes remained at the hands of the teacher.

"Hurry, I do not have time for lollygagging. Please, Lady Minnie, your audience awaits their Princess…I guess you are needed to."

She gesture first to Minnie brightly before turning a tolerating gaze on Jr. They still were at it, despite how much time they worked together. Then again, they were fighting most of the time unless Minnie was there, in which case, they'd just glare at each other and make rude gestures behind Minnie's back.

Jr. growled low in his throat. Dealing with this insufferable woman was like…a really bad pimple you wanted to get rid of, but the more you prodded it, the more it grew uglier.

"_Just like her."_

Jr's Nergal laughed as his host just chuckled. Olga looked back at him and narrowed her eyes. He stopped and lowered his brows before childishly sticking his tongue out. Olga scoffed and turned away haughtily.

They walked into the studio and Olga pulled their costumes from the pop-open closet. She tossed Jr's like a rag to him before she laid Minnie's out for her to see.

"See, Princess! It almost looks exactly like your original ballet outfit, except no cover and the blouse frills at the bottom, see? It's almost as if you and Ruby had been in the same class, now doesn't it?"

Jr. almost wanted to gag at the suck-upery, but stopped when Minnie turned to him, holding the dress up to her form.

"Dost thou favor it?"

"Trust me, the costume's got nothing on you. You'll look great, Mins."

Minnie blushed, but gleamed at the compliment. She looked curious again.

"How is thy apparel?"

Jr. held his out from his body. The shirt was a form fitting long sleeve with the material a stretchy silken feel to it. The pants were also close body, except when it reached the end, it flared out into a cone. He was guessing he would be wearing his sneakers since his outfit didn't come with shoes like Minnie's.

"I hope it squeezes the life out of you. Oh wait, yeah."

Jr. looked witheringly at the ballet teacher. Oh, how he would strangle the crap out of her if she wasn't his sister's coach…Fuck it, he was Little Boy Death after all, and he could kill the bitch and blame it on some random disease. He'd make it work. Yeah, torture the mess out of her and when he was done, she'd scream in pain and them he would take a knife and-

"Brother mine?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if the costume was to your liking."

"Uhh, yeah, I think it capture's Skull Boy great."

"Now let's just hope you don't screw the performance."

"_**She's just a fucking peach, huh?"**_

_TLTS_

He could feel it. The plan was to commence shortly and he only needed the castle to be free of its tenants. He watched as the rest of the Black family, many of the castle knights headed by Lord Charles Pain, Adram along with Lilith and a visiting Kobal begin to exit the All except one, the very one he needed.

"Grim, are you sure you don't want to go?"

"Nah, Da last time I decided ta go to a play, I awoke as a superpowered creampuff wid extra large eyes. I'll stay back from dis one."

"Then why don't I keep you company? I've never really liked plays as much."

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt. Getting ta know your guests is a part of being a good host."

Gaap smiled graciously.

_TLTS_

Jr. scratched at his outfit, the material rubbing at his bones weirdly. He tried to hide it and it worked, granted Minnie had to ask him if something was wrong when he flinched in her direction.

The theater was just beginning to fill in. Rows were starting to end off, some people having to find better seats to see their Princess in another great play.

"Oh Brother, mine heart flutters fiercely in the moonlight."

"Mins, what's there to worry about? You'll do great like you always do."

"Maybe if she had a better dancing partner, it wouldn't be too much of a problem. Instead, she's stuck with you."

Jr. and Olga faced off, but Minnie began to breathe hard. Jr. turned to his sis sharply, his anger towards the older woman long forgotten in place of his mate hyperventilating. Then he began to realize some of that was coming from his own nerves. What if he did screw up and Minnie looked foolish? She'd probably hate him, tell he was the worst. Everyone would boo her off stage and in turn she-

"_Gotta calm down. She'll gain courage if I grow some balls."_

"C'mon, Mins, breathe with me, breathe in, breathe out."

They breathed deeply and Minnie pressed herself up closely, making it look as if it was one of comfort. Jr. pulled her harder and soon, her breaths began to slow.

"You are the Princess of the Underworld and everyone loves you like one. I love you like you're already Queen. And once this is done…"

Images flashed of their kissing, embracement, gazing, even flight into the human night sky raced through her mind. She blushed heavily. That would be a great reward, although hers was wrapped along with some heavy petting, but they could work that in.

Jr. grinned at her cherry face, but didn't kiss. She didn't know and he didn't need anything else they could argue about. His Uncle Nergal's voice ran through his mind, reminding him that everyone might not be as accepting of the relationship they had together.

"Okay, children, we don't have that much time for snuggles. It's time to get in your places."

The director, a long time mutli-hobbyist Mr. Bickles, walked up to them and began caroling them towards their places in the play. Guess it didn't really matter to him that his audience was either half dead or supernatural; had to eat with some kind of money. Almost time.

_TLTS_

Grim and Gaap began their way through the castle. Grim would point out a particular piece on the wall or bust. They'd pass interesting rooms that would open up to different dimensions. One even opened up to Earth.

"It's de easiest way ta go to nd from da human plane."

"Understandable. Oh, yes, I almost forgot to ask, do you always keep your scythe on you. It just seems like a hassle to lug something that long around."

"Actually, if I'm not using it…why do ya want ta know?"

"I want to see if I can store my whip there. I use it as a belt, but it becomes worrisome if I move around without fighting for too long."

"Well…I guess I could show it to ya."

Grim took lead, Gaap right behind him.

_TLTS_

Jr. and Minnie looked across the way from each other. Minnie was already seated in the large chair by the scenic fireplace. He smiled and nodded at her. She gleamed before picking up the book in an attempt to simulate her reading.

"Thank God, the house is packed with peo-er, supernatural residents. Some are even standing!"

Mr. Bickles gushed at the thought of all the money that would be coming in from the night. Jr. just hoped some people would stay when they saw him. Even the cast from the Ruby Gloom show was there, special seating off to his left.

His heart pounded, but he calmed himself when he saw the director walk onto the stage.

"Tonight, we have an epic adventure, filled with drama, mystery, action, romance. For those who are familiar, _Ruby Gloom_ is about a red-haired child who can see the see the bright side in almost any situation that she has with her friends who believe in her no matter what happens. Can that still be said when she's kidnapped and her friends must rise and rescue their leader? Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you, _Ruby Gloom: Dark Nights_."

The curtains opened, light shone, and the play began.

_TLTS_

Grim opened the chamber containing the case for his scythe, along with other weapons that so happened to be there for soldiers use should the Grim Castle get attacked.

"Alright, just hang it up next to de oda ones."

Gaap pulled his whip from within his belt holes and hung it up next to the scythe. Once they left, as if on command, it coiled up onto the scythe, like a snake ready to devour the prey.

_TLTS_

"What do you mean you can't find her?"

Jr. gestured out to the crowd while looking at the actor who was supposed to be playing Iris. Everything was going well. Ruby had already been taken away and her friends were finally noticing their friend was missing, not that it had been long since she was gone.

"We can't find her, Skull Boy. We've even looked in her room, nothing!"

"There has to be something that can tell us. Maybe she left a note or something, time to put my detective skills to work."

The curtains closed and stage hands started moving the scene around. Minnie came up to her brother ecstatically.

"Brother, thou art born in thy role. Your performance is spectacular!"

"So is yours and it's not done yet. Go, go!"

She quickly ran onto the stage where a stagehand gently tied her hands. Director Bickles began waving people off so the scene could begin. The curtains opened up once again.

_TLTS_

Grim was finishing a letter while Gaap was reading in a chair aside from the window. It was quiet and neither talked now that the tour was over. All he needed was to find out where the opening was.

"Grim."

"Eh?"

"I have a quick question. I understand that your castle houses many portals to many different realms and universes. Tell me, if I wished to go back to Hell, which door would I be looking for?"

"It'd be the one in da ballroom. At first glance, it's an opening to the outside, but if ya pushed da doors to de sides instead of opening dem in, it'll open a portal to Limbo. Why, feeling homesick?"

Grim was once again talking to air.

"Dat freak needs ta stop doin dat in me house."

_TLTS_

"I can't believe you would do this, Bunny."

"Trust me, Babydoll, there have been lots of things you would never expect a cute little bunny rabbit to do that I've done. Kidnapping you is the least of your worries. Wait until we get to where the train ends."

Minnie sat tied up as she conversed with pink bunny with red, glaring eyes, crooked teeth and a hat he had to have stolen from Al Capone. Not that he was pulling the look off, especially with the twin gorillas (same demons from Jr's rescue) backing him.

"I can't wait for Skull Boy and the others to get here."

"Oh yes, lover boy and the lackeys. Don't worry, we have a little message we sent for them. Let's hope they have a blast with it."

Minnie growled low in her throat. She was improvising, provided with the factor that Ruby wasn't that much of an assertive person, she was naturally nice. Assertiveness was more Doom Kitty's forte. Still, getting kidnapped would make anyone a little angry.

"Bunny, you are in so much trouble once my friends get here."

"That's what you believe, girl. I think I'll bring your friends to you once they get done opening their present. Or, heh, at least what's left of them."

In another scene, Jr. and the rest of the actors were just arriving to the station, but right before they could enter, it exploded early, opening loud sparklers simulating ear-popping bombs.

Just in time, Scaredy Bat pulled up with a 1940 T car. Apparently Mr. White just had the old thing lying around still in good shape. They piled in and drove along the tracks.

_TLTS_

Gaap walked through the ballroom, his sights clear. He pushed the doors clear open, just like Grim said. Except, all he got was open air. He looked outwards, but saw only the redden sky the very Underworld was made of.

"He fucking lied."

The portal was supposed to be there. Why wasn't it there. Death could come and go as he pleased, why coul-

He narrowed his eyes. The outside…just moved. He stuck his hand out and the portal waved outwards, not unlike calm waters disturbed. It was a portal! Now all he had to do was walk-

What just happened? He was facing the outside portal and then suddenly, the inside of the ballroom. He walked through it again only to end up within the castle again.

"What is missing? What must I do to be able to open the gates of Hell? Why is Death able to…?"

Death was able to open portals. Portals open through the scythe. The scythe!

_TLTS_

Gaap's whip began to coil faster and tighter around the scythe, until the black and metal weapon shone out of the weapons case. The light dimmed out and the only thing remaining was the whip.

_TLTS_

"Bunny, you so don't want to mess with me right now. I've taken to studying karate. I hope you have someone to protect well enough."

"You're lucky that bomb didn't go off like it was supposed to, but trust me, going up against me isn't smart, Skully."

The play was well liked and the audience was on the edge of their seats. Now they just had to keep on with the good work and good acting.

"C'mon, give me your best shot."

"I intend to. Boys, send in the wolves!"

The gorillas opened the pretend door and out came dancing extremely large werewolves, bestial and snarling. In hindsight, they actually were werewolves, but the audience didn't really care much for it. When it came down to it, seeing Junior flip and twirl and fight like he actually knew kung fu was all they needed.

"C'mon, give me something that can actually beat me!"

To his words, a giant bear-sized werewolf came out.

"Me and my big ol' mouth."

_TLTS_

Gaap came back through the now cut portal and with him, many demons. So many demons came out with him, they filled the inside of the ballroom.

"I guess it's time for the plan to commence?"

Gaap grinned maliciously. He had a gracious host to repay.

_TLTS_

"Ruby!"

"Iris!"

The one-eyed girl untied Minnie. They hugged and conversed where everyone else was.

"Everyone is at the train station, trying to get the police to wait for us to come in. Well, everyone, but Skull Boy."

"Where is he?"

"Fighting with Bunny."

"NO! He's got an army of werewolves with him! We've got to save him!"

"Oh, don't worry. Skull Boy took up karate while we went looking for you."

"Well, okay, but I still want to see him. C'mon, we don't have much time!"

_TLTS_

Grim could feel something in his castle. Something…wrong, something that shouldn't be there.

He walked the halls of his castle towards the feeling. It was coming somewhere in the main halls. It was almost overwhelming him.

_TLTS_

Jr. and Minnie hugged, not that it was any different than their others. They forced a blush that didn't take much, especially considering what they were thinking.

"I missed you the most, Skull Boy."

"You don't know how much I missed you, Ruby. Man, am I glad to see you."

They smiled at each other happily. Iris pushed in between the two of them.

"Hey, hey, love birds. We can get mushy when we get to the train station. Right now, I'd be safer if we were near the front with more people."

"NOT YET!"

Out from the back came Bunny and he was not happy.

_TLTS_

In his castle stood demons, his castle was filled with demons! Who dared?!

"Grim!"

"Gaap, what has happened?!"

"I have let open the world of Hell…but not to stay. You see, I am in the middle of a plan that shall overtake the Heavens and the Earth almost simultaneously. But, the only way for me to do so, you are big part of that plan. As cliché as it sounds, your scythe is needed for this plan to actually work. That and all of your powers as well."

"_Grim, you better get me outta this!"_

"Oh, shut up, Joe, Don worry, dis lil' punk ain't got control over Hell's minions. He ain't nuthin."

"Can you be so sure about that Grim. Do you even truly know who I am?"

Gaap smiled boldly and let the body he coveted fall away from himself. Grim gasped quietly. It couldn't be.

_TLTS_

"Hah, try and stop the explosion from this one, Ruby!

Bunny laughed, jumping from the window of the cardboard train, leaving the three with a beeping timer on a wrap of dynamite. Iris was running around like a chicken with her head cut off, while "Ruby" and "SB" thought of ways to chuck the bomb without it exploding somewhere with people. They were already passing pieces of suburbs of Gloomsville, nearing into the city.

"You think you can deactivate it?"

"Ruby, I'm into karate right now! Fusel intricacies weren't till next week!"

Minnie sighed calmly. Then, sh looked up, inspired.

"What if we simply make it disappear?"

"What now?"

"Didn't you decide to be a magician once? Maybe you can just send it off to wherever you send anything else you magic away."

"…Well, whenever I make something disappear, it always reappears somewhere close. Even if I did, it'd probably just reappear in the other cart."

"What if we make it disappear off the train and into the air?"

"It's still gonna be on the tracks and blow chunks of rock into the houses."

"Not if we do it right before it blows. It blows in the air, nothing gets hit. C'mon, grab the bomb."

_TLTS_

"The Grim Reaper, Angel of Death, Death personified. It's so nice to see you again."

"Lucifer! I can't wait ta send ya back to da disgusting realm of sin and decay whence ya belong!"

"Oh, but Grim, don't you get it? Your powers are coming with me. I won't be able to take over all worlds without it."

"What makes ya dink I'll give it up so easily?"

Grim was talking to the Prince of Hell from the wall of the main hallway, his bones stuck and imprisoned in the stone and iron.

"Hmph. Never was a easy being to get to cooperate. Too bad that came with naivety. Now, hold very still. This will hurt…a lot."

The shell of Gaap the demon was on the floor and Lucifer stood in his place, holding the scythe steady. He chanted into blade, and stepped back. Demons growled and snarled louder at Grim. Then silence.

Lucifer sliced straight upwards, reaping Grim and his powers from his body.

"AAARRRRGHHHH!"

_TLTS_

The plan worked! Right before the bomb went off, they made it disappear into the night. The audience looked around, waiting for something, anything to happen. Then, fireworks went off above their heads, sparkling and popping in the air. They cheered at the for the actors staying in character.

"Ruby, that was a great idea!"

"Skull boy, it wouldn't have worked without you."

They were so close, breaths apart. Then, Iris's hands shot around their heads in a hug.

"Yaaaaayy, we're alive! I love you guys!"

They chuckled under her.

"We love you too, Iris. Now please let go, we can't breath."

The curtains closed and the cast came out. Dreictor Bickles stood in the middle, gesturing out to the crowd. They bowed out to the audience, who gave a standing ovation for the actors. Minnie and Jr. looked at each other and smiled.

"PSSST!"

They stopped and looked over to the curtains. Charles was beckoning them over.

Everyone exited off to the left, where Jr. and Minnie gave Charles a questioning look.

"The Grim Castle, it's been attacked!"

"What?!"

_TLTS_

The entourage arrived at the Castle quickly, no time to converse with either the audience or the cast members. They quickly spread into the main hallway and saw Grim encased in the marble rock.

"Dad!"

"Father!"

They ran up to him, worry covering their faces and fear beating inside. Mandy stood off to the side, her expression none too pleasesd.

"What happened in my castle Grim?"

"Mandy, kids, am I glad to see you! Dat rat bastard came right in undah me nose."

"Grim, focus, WHO DID THIS?!"

"De devil! Gaap was disguised as Lucifer!"

"Son of a bitch!"

"Dey took me scythe too!"

"…What?"

"Yes, dey came in-!"

"Took something that belongs to me!? I care if God himself came into this castle, what belongs to me belongs to me! Grim, get out of the wall, now!"

"I can't. Dey took me powers as well."

"…Useless bag of bones. Jr.!"

"Yeah, Ma?"

"This is your fault, you will help fix it."

"He's prolly in da ballroom. When he came in, he had demons from hell wid 'im."

Jr. let his powers seep into the corridors. He could faintly feel supernatural, demonic powers cover the floor of the castle. He ran along with Charles, Mandy, and Minnie to the ballroom and kicked open the door of the ballroom.

There he was, white haired, tall, muscular, but not overly so. It was slow motion as they connected eyes. Destiny was being made at that very moment and the Fates had a hand in it all. Despite all the demons that were now exiting through the door,

Jr. watched him as he turned once the last demon left and enter the portal before the split closed and the image of outside calmed before it looked just like the outside again. He had seen them. Jr. only saw the dark amethyst in his eyes. They were frosty, cold. They made him shiver.

* * *

**Okay, I understand that this was really long, but I needed to at least go back and forth between the play and plan, as unnecessary as it was. I kinda wanted a transition from the life to the adventure. Eh, I don't know. What really matters is if you guys will like it. Please review. I freak out if not enough people tell me it's alright. Just saying.**

**Story by: Animaster/Doragoon**

**Beta by: Blood Brandy**


	26. A Sinful Silence in Limbo

_Here's some response to reviews as they are actually getting to be at a number I like:_

_Numbervania: Yeah, no. I had to start it out someway and if Grim was able to form a better defense, the story wouldn't be able to pick up again. I actually didn't think the switching between the play and plan was good enough, but if you liked it then everything's alright._

_Lord Xantos A. Fowl: I try._

_aza7-aza207: Yes! One more reader caught back on track. I realized that the story was becoming to lax and I was beginning to lose more reviews at it went. I'm trying not to write a M-fic until the administrators get off their high chairs. This ain't public television, know what I mean?_

_crazycherry459: I am the best, bow down bow down.(I'm joking, I'm not that conceited. I ahve nothing to show for it, lol.)_

_BrotherGrimSVSD: Trust me, trying to get what she says is not easy by any means. I actually use this site www dot ibequeaththee slash olde english dot com. It's the best place to figure out what words can be used as Minnie's speech, get me?_

_And to the guest who was little more forceful than I thought anyone would get on me about this story, trust me, if I had my way, you wouldn't have had to threaten me to get it *grins widely*_

_Now on to the story!_

_Prompt: A Sinful Silence in Limbo_

* * *

"I really don't understand as to how you let that bastard into the castle without knowing."

"Ya don understand, he won't Lu till he un-possessed da body."

Jr. and Minnie stood off to the side as Mandy and Grim argued how Lucifer the ruler of Hell had gotten into Castle Grim. Still, Jr. felt the fault was his entirely anyway. Of course, Adram wasn't a part of the scheme; he wasn't stupid enough to cross the Queen and stay.

Jr. sighed as they continued on and on about the stolen scythe as well as the break in, not to mention Grim's loss of powers.

"Now, all I have to show for it is a fucking whip! Grim, you know how sadism gives me a migraine."

Jr. walked away, Minnie following her brother to the stairs.

"Brother, prithee, would thou have wit that an ally can be an enemy instead?"

"Minnie, I allowed him in. I didn't even ask or question if it was alright, I just let them in. I mean, sure, Adram and Lilith are cool, but I wouldn't have known that, I just let them waltz right in."

"Thither, thou wouldn't have known. Thou wouldn't have known of the fiery Adram or the fair Lilith. Naught of this is any fault of yours."

Jr. smiled and pulled her to him, rubbing his forehead against hers, a deep rumble erupting from his throat, coaxing one from her as well.

"Enough with the bullshit, we need to get down to business. Jr., get your love-happy ass in here!"

Jr. didn't gulp as he would have before the powers. He had the ability to defend not only himself, but his love as well, even if his Mom still made him shake every once in a while.

"What's up, Mom?"

"We're going after him."

"What?"

"Mother, thou can't be true?"

"Yes, we are."

"Who? You, Minnie and me? Dad can't go; he's too busy stoned."

Both Minnie and Mandy looked at him with bland looks. Jr. had the decency to sheepish.

"I thought it was funny."

"Bad jokes aside, we need to get the scythe back. Since you want to take blame, you are going to come with me to get it back."

"Well, it sure as hell can't be just us going in."

"Says who? I'm going to get my property back. It belongs to me and I will kill everyone who stands in my way, is that understood?"

"…Mother, I do believe thou art taking this more than just a theft."

"Minnie, I'm gonna go with a head nod and just do as Mom says. I think she's completely serious. Hey, Adram, get Charles, we're going on a little field trip!"

_TLTS_

Jr. stood before his father, sheepishly rubbing his boney head.

"Umm, Dad?"

"Whot is it, Son?"

"I, uh, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. This is kinda my fault, I let him in and I didn't even think he could be someone we should look out for."

"Bah! Jr., you couldn't 'ave known dat he was a Prince of Hell."

"I-I guess."

"…Ya gonna need dis before dis lil adventure ya Mudda is bringing ya on is done. It's da last power dat I have, de only reason I was able ta keep it is because it's in a league of power dat's far deeper den just me scythe."

"What is it?"

"…And they were given power over a fourth over the Earth to kill by sword, famine, and plague, and by the wild beasts of the realm. And I looked and there before me was the Pale Horse and its rider's name was Death!"

"Huh?"

"I can't do it in dis form, but since you are Death Jr., you have the power to control over da horse of Death, Despair."

"Despair, huh? And he'll come when I say that whole mumbo jumbo mess?"

"Yes, boy. Don be a smartass."

"Just saying, Dad. I've never seen you do it before and besides, how do you know I can do it?"

"All Reapers, whether young or old, can be da Pale Rider. It's all in dem. It's in you too. Trust me."

Jr. looked down at his feet.

"Son, you are going ta be bettah den me. You are Death and you come with the wrath of him as well."

Jr. looked up in pride.

_TLTS_

The gathered group stood inside the ballroom. Outside, skeleton servants and guards were all checking each room, making sure the scythe was the only thing stolen. Mandy was on edge and if the Queen was unhappy, the world would suffer in a pit of darkness.

"So, we're just gonna waltz in with the hopes of just grabbing the scythe and walking back out?"

"I don't care how it's done. If you would like…"

She bent down to him, getting in his face and glaring hard at him.

"…you stay back and allow for me to clean up your mess."

Jr. gritted his teeth. It was a low blow, but he knew his mother and he asked for that one.

"I'm coming."

Mandy stood and walked past him. She reached out and he gave her his scythe. Minutes later, they were walking through fires that made Jr's bones crackle.

"This isn't Hell, just the gates to it. We won't be in Hell until the land turns to ice."

Jr. remembered. He remembered walking in the land of those who hadn't chosen a savior, who hadn't sinned, but were in perpetual motion of nothingness.

He had been there, along with a girl with no hands, someone who he promised he would save, someone who he could fulfill his promise to now that he had that power.

"How long do you think it'll take?"

That was all he got out before the fires were snuffed and in their stead, he was looking at a plain of ice and mountain. He looked behind him and darkness crept in.

"This is the First circle of Hell. We are close to those of sin, of unholy decadence."

"C'mon, we need to keep moving or the souls in Limbo will see us."

Everyone started into the snow. Jr. knew what would happen next. He'd seen what happened next in the past, the first time he'd lost Minnie.

"Watch out for any wandering girls in white d-OOF!"

Jr. had only gotten most of the sentence out before he was hit in the chest by said girl in white dress.

"Again? Seriously, Mimi, we need to work on your people skills."

The mute red-eyed girl stared at him in fear. Or at least, fear from what had been chasing her.

"OH, MY! What do we have here?! You got a boyfriend! Oh, Goodie! Now we can all play!

We'll play hide and-!"

"Back off pedo-freak!"

Jr. didn't waste time in formalities. He brandished his scythe and held it menacingly to the ice cream man.

"You don't want to play little boy?!"

"Come near me and I will aim downwards, understand?"

He ran and all that was left was the group along with a frightened Mimi. He didn't want to hold her too close, but he couldn't help himself. Not that Minnie had any qualms of pulling the two away from each other.

"Brother, thou art getting away from the task at hand. Thou know of this girl?"

"Uhhh, no?"

Even Adram had the decency to look suspicious. He shrugged before standing. Now all that remained was-

"Jeff, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Mom?!"

"HUH?!"

It was a loud chorus, but it got the message across.

"Everyone, this is…Jeff."

"Hey, everyone!"

His giant fangs made everybody, but Jr. and Mimi a little apprehensive.

"He was an egg a friend of mine decided he wanted to hatch. The question is, why are you here?"

"Well, I'm here because of little Mimi."

All eyes turned to the girl that was hiding behind Junior like a frightened kitten. Jr. shook his head as he could only allow what was happening to continue.

_TLTS_

Everyone rested in the cave. It was completely like Jr. remembered, but it wasn't like anyone else would. He had to keep it to himself. Only Minnie had any vague idea and even he hadn't told her about Mimi.

"So… cocoa, anyone?"

"Jeff, cut the chit-chat. We're looking for a way into Hell completely. Can we go through here?"

"Well, I guess, but why would you want to go into Hell, Mommy?"

Mandy shivered, as did everyone else. Jr. certainly didn't know about Jeff like that and certainly could have done without that particular piece of knowledge.

"Stop calling me that. I am not your mother."

"But you tried to bite off my head. That just has to make you my Mommy."

"ENOUGH! Show us the way into Hell or so help me you'll get a spanking that make every mother look like a fucking Care Bear, understand me?"

Jeff would have nodded, but a voice drifted from within the recess of the cave.

"Oh, Mandeline. Soooo maidenly like always. I wonder if you do parties."

Everyone turned to look into the dark to see a tall man of ruby red swagger out. They were too distracted to see Jeff about to ensnare them within the web. Seconds later, everyone was stuck to the rock of the cave.

"Son of a bitch! Jeff, I am so going to beat your ass when I get out of here."

"I'm sorry Mommy. Really, but he said he'll give me something that should be precious to us both, right?"

"Jeff, I told you this before, Billy hates fucking spiders! Anything that crawls on the ground, flies, or has more than four legs makes him jump into the air! Did you just ignore me the first damn time I told you that?!"

"Oh, don't get the boy so downtrodden. I need him happy, or at least willing to work with me…SO BE QUIET!"

Mandy literally glared holes into HIM's head, but then huffed, as if she knew something that would make his world crumble underneath him.

"Oh, c'mon. You don't think I know your real name? HIM, or should I say Mihnos? The Judge, the snake, the lap dog of the Princes of Hell."

"SSSSHUT UP!"

Mandy leaned back into the rock, satisfied that she had messed with HIM's head enough to make him feel just a little more insignificant. HIM turned to Jr. with intent.

"Your mother may just get you in a lot of trouble, boy."

"Trust me, I can handle myself."

Jr. smugly growled out before he snapped his jaws out at HIM. At first, HIM just bent back and looked surprised. Then a piece of his goatee fell from his face.

Jr. took a claw to the face. It hurt, but Nergal healing helped. HIM was not amused, but then again, HIM never really liked being messed with.

"So it seems you fell into the trap that has been set. How lovely."

"Still talking flamboyantly I see. Mihnos, has it ever occurred to you that you may be gay?"

"Mimi, if you could?"

The now reddened, silent girl slapped large piece of duck tape against Mandy's mouth. The Queen narrowed her eyes at the small girl who only proceeded to lick a lollipop.

"Thank you, precious."

"Oh, HIM, I am so beating ass when I escape."

"Such language. Mandy, you taught your children so well. But enough with the chit-chat, hmm? I know why you all are here. Especially you Adram."

Adram growled, but didn't even turn to look at Him.

"First, how about we change the ambiance, yes?"

What was a cave with the outside flurrying a storm began to crumble and break away, the snowy mountains now farther than what they seemed and darkness eating at the picture. Now to the groups immediate left was a giant chamber. Several stories of cells stood on the left and right of a large stage and in the middle stood a spiked rotor. There was blood everywhere, it almost made Jr. gag.

"I wanted to redecorate, but you have to keep up in appearances, yes?"

"What the hell is all this?"

"EXACTLY! You are standing at the precipice of the Sinner's tier. The Next level is where the true fun begins, but I don't rule over that, unfortunately.

I would looooove to have power over those who lust so easily.

"King Mihnos, thou art sickening a being. Thine meaning has been corrupted and now, thou art perverse and a certain wretch."

"Oh, Minnie! I almost forgot you were here. How are you?"

"Thou shalt not speak to me in such a familiar manner."

"But that talk! It's the only thing I can't stand. It's the same reason I had to figure out a way get Mimi to stop yelling for her mother every second of the day."

If anyone else had noticed how Mimi reacted to the word 'mother', Jr. didn't take notice. Her eyes flashed bright red before her head lowered to look at her feet.

"It's the only way to have divorcee children."

"You sick fuck."

HIM turned his attention back to Jr. He nodded at Mimi and Jr. got a face full of STFU.

"…Ouch. Now I know how that angel felt."

"How about you be a good little boy and no more cussing, huh?"

Jr. rolled his neck around, trying to get the pain from stinging to end. He really needed to get out of this web. He was actually in the process already, his tail cutting a light sliver from inside and trying not to look too suspicious, when a green portal opened up from the stage. Once again, he caught amethyst, a strong violet that made him almost look away. They weren't looking at him this time, but at HIM. Soon, more colored eyes as well as new faces came from behind, exiting the realm from which they came.

"Mihnos. Seems, you have caught our guests?"

"Oh, Lu, you should really knock before you come. At least then I get to announce you."

"I don't think aquiantances need to be in order. They know of me."

Lucifer; ruler of Hell and its demon, angel fallen from grace, he who's most unclean. Having parents who ruled the Underworld, you needed to know else you ruled along side of. The others, though, he didn't actually have much of a clue.

"Well, Lu, everyone has to know who you are. But I don't expect the young ones to know too much of your brothers."

One of them, the one with the red eyes, snarled at HIM while the green-eyed one glared at Lucifer's back.

"Satan, calm yourself. Leviathan, even your name is known."

The two heeled and Lucifer smirked at Jr. He could just feel his hackles raise. The Nergal in him roared to life, hoping Lucifer would get in reach of his claws. Only, said claws were stuck to the wall so that was a no go.

"So this is the next ruler of the Underworld? Not exactly much to look at."

"You let me outta this web, I'll show just how much I am to look at. Your lackey lost a piece of his monkey scruff because he go too close."

HIM didn't take the bait. He stood off to the side as if Jr. wasn't enough of his time. He answered at any rate.

"You may not think I deserve the title of the Judge of Souls, but I think I'M PRETTY HOT STUFF!"

"Control, Mihnos. You're going to let a child provoke you? I certainly wouldn't."

HIM huffed and turned away like a child throwing a tantrum. Lucifer shrugged it away and walked up to the Royals.

"I do believe you are here because I have something you want, right?"

Mandy had finally chewed the tape into her mouth before spitting it out to speak.

"Lucifer, I will give you ten seconds to give me back what is mine, is that understood? Or I will show you how to make a true nightmare world looks like."

"How is Gaz?"

"And there's your tongue."

Lucifer chuckled and swaggered away. He gestured out from his body, as if insulted.

"I can't believe such insolence from lesser beings. Brothers, what say you?"

The Seven laughed and it made the Royals glare hard. The one to speak was with blue eyes, dark almost ocean-like.

"I do believe it's the Queen who is at fault here. Mothers are in themselves are problem."

Jr. noticed Mimi had once again flashed her eyes. He smirked. Just a little more and that would set off an escape. He felt his tail finally grow an inch of wiggle room and he began slicing the side of the web that held his right hand. He called out to the man that actually was looking just a little feminine.

"I wouldn't if I were you. You may just start something that will end in a very bad accident."

"Asmodeus, I would probably listen to him if I were you."

"C'mon, Lucifer, you don't think this little short stuff will actually be able to do anything. The way we manipulated his mother, he's probably weaker than her."

"'Deus, I'm warning you. You'll start something you won't be able to finish."

Jr. looked at Mandy. Her red eyes glowed and her mouth twitched as if wanting to pull into a snarl. What was this guy talking about?

"Oh, you don't know? Your mommy dearest didn't exactly give birth twice because she loved children, if that weren't obvious enough."

HIM looked over to where Mimi was and he knew he had to stop this before things really did get out of hand.

"Asmodeus, I really don't think this wise."

"Oh, come now, Mihnos. Don't tell me you are as afraid as my brother?"

"The boy isn't the threat you want to worry about."

He pointedly looked at Mimi, but that didn't stop Asmodeus from slinking over to her. He smiled greatly as he went closer.

"What? Does the whole Mommy thing put a damper on the mute cutiepie?"

Mimi didn't look at him. All she did was stare at the ground. Asmodeus put his mouth to her ear, his grin still as wide.

"And what about your mother? Has Mihnos told you what he's done to her?"

Mimi shot her head up and look at HIM, her claws swinging at her side. HIM cursed; Asmodeus didn't know what he just did. Face full of STFU followed next. Asmodeus flew from the ground and onto the stage. He was laughing the entire time.

"OH, come and GET ME MIMI!"

The one named Satan pulled 'Deus up from his collar. He was sneering at his brother the entire time.

"Come here dumbass. You just have to start things."

"It's in my nature."

Then, Jr. ripped through the webbing and sliced along the side cutting the others open. The Royals jumped down and began running towards the stage. Adram locked eyes with Satan, who would have come forward if not for a hand on his shoulder. Sky blue eyes stared into his own.

"Later; right now, we don't have time."

HIM was too busy watching the Royals make their way to him when a bust of Shakespeare hit him in the stomach. Mimi was making her way towards him, but gone was that of silence and blank emotion. These were full of rage and agony. He turned and the Princes were sinking into the floor before they were gone.

"Shit! Just great."

He turned and looked at the Royals who were finally facing him. He sighed heavily.

"You can never trust your employers these days."

He closed his eyes then heaved his body upwards, fire racing from his feet. Everyone jumped back. Everyone, but Mimi.

She leaped through the fire and pushed HIM out the other side. They landed on stage and once HIM landed on the stone floor, screams of the dead began belting out from the jail cells. His presence stirred up the souls to be judged, but he wasn't exactly ready to judge at this moment.

"Mimi! Somebody, watch Jeff, he might do something stupid again. I got this."

Everyone watched as Jr. leapt onto the stage and brandished his scythe. He took at step only to immedietly fall back. He wanted to help, but Mimi would cut him a scathing look and toss a shuriken where his foot would have been. Minnie hopped to his side.

"Canst thou do something? Thou fere is in a bind."

"She won't let me help, she keeps throwing stars at me…think you can get her away long enough."

"But this bout is personal. The maiden shalt finish him herself if she hath such a chance."

"…Then we're going to have to make her let us help. Time for some Nergal speed."

Their eyes slitted and soon, the entire world was moving too slow for them. Minnie was focused on getting Mimi further away from HIM. Jr. was more of showing Him who the Prince of the Underworld was.

_TLTS_

This person, this thing took her from her mother. She had to fight through the coldness in her heart, through the stoic feelings that blanketed the rage she held within her. She was who she was because he made her this way.

Often, he called himself her father, but she refused to believe it. In her mind, her father was different. He wasn't red at all. Well, except she was sure his hair had a somewhat reddish tint, maybe orange. She couldn't fully rememeber his face, but she saw her own in the reflective lenses that hid his. He had strong arms and was tall. Really tall, even taller than her mother.

She remembered her mother and that was who she was fighting for. This guardian of hers was going to tell her whether he liked it or not. She would bash his head in until-

A flash of gold passed in front of her and she was blown gently back. That girl, the girl who had the grey eyes and talked funny. She was standing in front of her, in her way and in the way of finding out what happened to her mother and getting revenge for what happened to her father. To her aunts. To her family!

She pulled a hammer out of thin air, the side reading GET OUTTA THE WAY and smashed it where the girl was standing. She was kicked in her chest, and the hammer flew out of her hand. So she wanted to play? She tilted her head to the side and let her STFU iron hang from her claw. Let's play.

_TLTS_

Jr. flipped over a cutting claw coming for his midsection. He twirled his scythe in his hand, trying get Him distracted enough that he wouldn't see the slice coming. HIM, instead, leaned back before he headbutted Jr., making him fly back on the stage.

"Boy, you are not going be enough. I fought little girls tougher than you."

Jr. growled and leaped high, spinning erratically and coming down hard with his scythe. HIM brought his claws up, sparks flying from where the two met.

"Just you isn't going to be enough."

Jr. flipped backwards and set his scythe beside him. He got onto his hands and feet and let his tail grab his scythe, coiling it round and round. His mouth grew fangs and he seemed to shimmer.

"Fucking bite me."

Then he was off. HIM tossed flames at him, yet not being able to catch him in time to stop the mauling he received. They both fell to the ground and HIM threw his head around to keep the scythe from cutting off more than just his beard. He kicked his legs up to wrapped them around Jr's neck before thrusting him off.

"C'mon boy, fight like you mean it."

Jr. roared! He grabbed his scythe from his tail and sprouted his wings, tossing into the air violently. Then, he was tangled in from behind, making him fall to the rock. They hit it hard and Jr. groaned. Tangled in with him was Minnie and Mimi, both still trying to go at each other with Jr. in between. Jr. got frustrated as he was getting stepped on and hit repeatedly.

"Will you both-please, Minnie, Mimi, calm down-FUCKING STOP!"

Easily, the girls stopped to look at him as he stood. He dusted himself off and cracked his back. He glared at both of them, Minnie the only one with the decency to look perturbed.

"Why are you fighting? He's the enemy, the bastard that started this. Mimi, I know you want him yourself, but don't you get it? We can help."

Mimi looked away, a slight glare, but a shrug as she stood. She pushed them out of the way and made her way to HIM.

"Oh, so you'll help them? Your mother was nothing and you want to save her? She is nothing then and she is NOTHING NOW!"

Face full of STFU.

Jr. and Minnie quickly acted, crossing each other and running to HIM. Their tails started trailing on the stone, sparks flying.

HIM looked up just in time to lean away from the slicing tails. Mimi took that chance to deck him on in the abs. He bent forward, spit flying from his mouth. That gave the go for Jr. and Minnie to kick HIM in the face. But it backfired and HIM grabbed both of their ankles, spinning around and hitting Mimi in the chest. She flew back, taking Minnie with her. HIM was able catch Jr's neck in his now free hand. He slammed Jr. in to the ground.

"I AM DONE!"

HIM pulled a knife from out of nowhere. Mimi stood up and Minnie looked at her before tossing the downed scythe at her. Mimi caught it.

"NO MORE PRINCE OF THE UNDERWORLD!"

The flash of blade flew through the air and blood was spilt. Jr. looked up and blood spilled onto his chest. His scythe hung from the chest of the corrupted Judge. HIM was gasping, his eyes bulging. He sat on the balls of his knees and looked down at the weapon sticking from his chest. He looked up before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell to the floor.

Mimi stood above Jr. Her eyes were wide and her mouth slightly open. Jr. stood up and looked at the blood on his hoodie.

"Well, that's the end of that."

_TLTS_

Mimi crawled over each jail cell, hoping to the Heavens her mother was in one. She just had to be here. He would bait her that she was watching her, waiting for her to reunite. Taunt her with a lie that they would be together and her mother only needed to become more accepting that that man was her father, that red being who made people only cry.

She guessed this was the incentive she needed. With people at her backing, she was able to actually get what she wanted.

This wasn't the first time she had attacked her so called 'father'. It was only this time; she was able to actually follow through. If she found her mother, maybe it would change many things. Her mother was strong and she had to still be there for her, for Mimi.

Mimi started to tear up.

"MIMI!"

_TLTS_

The Royals surrounded the body of the judge. Mandy was really pissed she wasn't the one to kill him so she began to kick him in his stomach.

"Fucking bastard. Dare taking what's mine, I can't wait to get to those idiots who still have what belongs to me."

"My lady, please? He will awake sooner or later, he is king of this realm."

"I hope he does wake up, just so I can do him in myself!"

Jr. shook his head before turning to Jeff who was coaxing Mimi from the stacked jail cells. She was looking down, but only occasionally as she searched the cells for her mother. He held Minnie closer to him and she breathed in his scent.

"Mimi, please! Come down…I know where she is."

Mimi was on the stage within seconds. Jeff looked apologetic, but more so for telling her than not.

"B-but I don't know…if this will be the way you want to see her."

Mimi was frantic, her wide eyes tearing and shaking Jeff and searching the cells. He shook his head.

"I told her I would protect you, even if that meant not letting you see her this way."

_TLTS_

Jr. never wanted this. He thought that Mimi's mom wasn't as bad as she really was. Whatever she had been wearing had been torn on her body. What most likely was originally amber luster hair became a dirty orange and it framed a sunken face.

"S-she made me promise that until she died, you were never to see her. Blossom, I'm so sorry."

Jeff turned away as Mimi shuffled along the filthy floor to her mother. She fell to her knees before her. Jr. hid Minnie's frightened eyes in his collar, hoping to God she didn't see the woman as the rest stood behind him in the doorway of a hidden cell behind the stage. Not only was she covered in filth, but other disgust he never could wish on another. HIM made her suffer, but left her with enough strength to live. Now, he wanted to kill HIM; again and again until he was sure he suffered ten times as much as this woman had.

Mimi looked into her mother's eyes, wishing for that pink light to come back in them. She shook her shoulders and it got some recognition.

"Muh-Mimi?"

Mimi nodded her head vigorously, smiling as her tears began falling. The woman, Blossom, grinned and opened her arms.

"Come here, my little love."

Mimi crushed herself into Blossoms arms. She cried hard and Blossom did her best to pat her back with her boney arms.

"Shshsssshhh, it's okay. Oh my, you look so different, I wish your father were here to see you."

It's was obvious to see she was delusional; not recogninzing the red skin her daughter now had around her. That didn't change the factor that Jr. had to turn away from the sight that was making him breath harder.

"Jeff, why didn't you bring me to her sooner?"

"Y-you told me not to. I had…no choice."

Jeff sniffled and turned away.

"Oh, Jeff, I'm not mad. Well, actually, I'm pretty tired."

Mimi looked up to her mother, her eyes confused.

"Sorry, I know you just got to see me, but I think I should take my sleep. We have to get outta here soon, huh?"

Mimi shook her head immediately, wanting to voice her displeasure, but after years of non-use, she didn't know how.

Mandy nodded. There was a difference of time between the human realm and the several Underworlds, including her own. In Hell, time fluxed unnaturally. It could be a thousand years early or even in the future. Blossom and Mimi had been here for years apparently, but on Earth, Megaville had just been destroyed.

"I can feel it. I think I've been awake for long enough, waiting up for you, Minka. When I wake up, I'll be with your father and then, we'll be waiting for you together, okay?"

Blossom seemed to just realize her fate, but Mimi sobbed and shook her head profusely. This wasn't fair! She just GOT HER!

"I love you, little one. As does your father and auntie's, okay."

Mimi nodded and smiled weakly. It wasn't fair. Blossom smiled as bright as she could, before her eyes closed again. Then she was gone. Out of all the tears and saddened eyes the group gave, who else, but Mimi's felled the most.

"_How is your brother?"_

"_Doing fine. He's gonna love that you're coming, he hasn't stopped asking about you yet!"_

"_I can imagine. And my sisters?"_

"_Good as well. Me and Bubbles are ballet instructors of Heaven now."_

"_As expected…will my daughter be okay?"_

"_Her fate is in short stuff's hands now."_

As Jr. let the angry tears spill from his eyes, he looked to his right. At first he couldn't see through the water, but light shone in the darkness and he saw two figures. He saw her, Blossom, standing across the way along with another with blonde hair. They were looking at him and nodding. He blinked and they were gone.

_"She is your responsibility now. Please care for her."_

* * *

**Okay, so the reason for the absence of book reading is because of school. Me and my Beta have been a bit busy with getting accostumed to the time schedules we have to keep and jobs. Well, my job, I have yet to ask BB if she(?) has a job, but it's private so it'd be like- Now I'm just rambling.**

**Yes, let the triangle begin! With this, I can switch the book cover to something more appropriate. Not only that, the plot begins to thicken as a plan that will most likely end up with some very hard decisions.**

**Author: Animaster/Doragoon**

**Beta: Blood Brandy**


	27. Cruel Fates

_Getting good yet? Sorry it took too long, had family over again for a bit and then I got lazy. Cray._

_**nightmaster000**-Yeah I know, but I want this to get emotional. Read this chapter and you'll see what I mean._

_**BrotherGrimSVSD**-Nah, it's cool. Thank you, I try, but Mimi wasn't going to stay that way, not under my watch._

_**crazycherry459**-I am unworthy! Still, it's great to see this is good for you all._

_**Empty Walls**-Sorry for taking so long man, i hope this satisfies. I want to get into the nitty-gritty later on, but this should do good._

_**patrick the almighty observer**-bro, have you seen the newer chapters of GTFDB? I want HIM to die the most painful of ways na dhave him ripped at the seams of his life. HIM will scream bloody murder when I finally get back to him. You will want him to as well once you've read the rest of this chap._

_Prompt: Cruel Fates_

* * *

Jr. stared at Mimi. Her tanned skin gleamed in the reddened light of the Underworld. It was so surreal; he could have only imagined it in his mind. But every Paradise had trouble, just like his.

He didn't even think about the decision or the consequences. Now he was to blame for Minnie's disappearance.

…

"_Children, come on. It's time to go home and think up a plan. Leave the girl, boy."_

_Mandy turned away and soon, everyone, but Jr., Minnie, Jeff, and Mimi were walking away. Jr. turned to them in anger._

"_What are you saying?! WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE HER!"_

_Mandy stopped and the air grew very cold, raging against the fires that were flaming in some of the jail cells. Everyone gave her a wide berth as she stomped back to where Jr._

"_There is a reason we can't have her with us. This is not our jurisdiction; therefore we have no responsibility to her. Once he gets up, he'll be responsible for her…and her traitorous ways."_

"_She's not a traitor! She was trapped by that crazy madman and you expect her to face him when he gets up?"_

_He gestured to the downed HIM who's blood that had seeped onto the ground slowly, but surely began to recede back into his lying body. Meanwhile, Mimi was still crying against Jeff as they both wailed over the loss of Blossom._

"_She does not belong to us! Maybe you do not understand as you've inherited you're father's thick skull. The only way for us to take her is if she was betrothed to someone of royalty and I don't exactly see anyone who can fit that little job description."_

_Jr. clutched Minnie tighter. If only he could, but he was mated to Minnie, there was no…_

_He pulled his mate into his body and nuzzled the skin at her neck. Her scent still drove him wild and the decision he was about to make made it all the more harder to keep from spilling forth like a blubbering mess and prostrating himself before his sister in forgiveness. But he knew it, it was told to him by his Great Uncle. Now here he was, between love and a promise._

"_I am so sorry, sister mine."_

_He pulled Minnie away from him and stood ground against his mother._

"_Yes she can."_

_He pulled away from Minnie and stepped towards the wailing red girl. He was going to regret this, but there was no choice. Not in his mind._

"_Mimi, I know it hurts, but you can't stay, please."_

_She barely even looked up._

"…_HIM will wake up. I don't know what he'll do, but…I don't want you to be here when he does. Please, come with us."_

_Mimi didn't even budge, she just continued to let the tears flow. Everyone on the Royal side was confused. What did Jr. plan to do?_

_Jeff pushed her up._

"_Mimi, you have to go. He's right; HIM won't be happy once he awakens. I-I am not afraid for me, but I fear for what he'll do to you. You've already endured enough suffering. Just go."_

_Mimi looked pleadingly into Jeff, but he pulled her off him and set her down. She stepped back and her sorrowful eyes tore at both of them._

"_I can't leave, not yet. His contract is binding and until he gives me my father or one of us dies, I'll be stuck here…I love you so much Mimi."_

_He crawled into a little dark corner and began to spin a web cocoon, locking himself within. He knew what awaited him._

_Jr. walked up beside Mimi._

"_I am sorry Mimi, but…we have to go."_

_She turned to him and her eyes were once again blank and he feared she would always be this way. She nodded and he was partially relieved she would leave._

"_So what's your plan now? The way she is, full of his sin, she can't leave."_

"_But she won't be. Mimi, please turn around."_

_Minnie shuddered in horror; he wouldn't!_

_Jr. let his claw grow. He could feel the instinct level in on him, urge him on, and tell him how this was supposed to happen, even with the ties already to someone else._

_He cut a slice into her back, opening her cavity for everyone to see. All, but Mandy had wide eyes as they saw Jr. cut Mimi open, the daughter of the Powerpuff gasping in surprise, yet no pain. Minnie began to tear up and started towards him. He can't!_

_Jr. pushed through her spinal column and latched onto her heart and pulled it out. Everyone could see the muscle. It was glowing red and it was twisted and gnarled, very much unlike any heart they'd seen before. He crushed it and it withered into dust. Minnie ran, her eyes streamlining water in the air._

"_NOOOOOOO!"_

_As much as Jr's heart ached at the sound, his body was already in motion. The red was leaving Mimi's body and her skin was the tint of cinnamon. Just before her life finally gave out, Jr. shot a pincer from his body, a beating black and green heart caved within the jaws. It replaced Mimi's old heart and once it was set, her body began to convulse. _

_Her claws dropped from her arms and out grew regular hands. Her tail shriveled into her backside. Her horns cracked and broke off from her crown. All that remained of HER was the red eyes and the red clothes that were on her body before the process._

_Mimi was now Nergalian._

_TLTS_

Jr. remembered what happened next. Minnie slapped him so hard, his jaw flew from his skull. Tears fell from her eyes and she stepped away from him when he reached for her. She walked away to the group who was still too stuck stupid to move. All except Mandy; her eyes were narrowed.

He opened a portal to home, cradling Mimi under her knees and back, doing his best to ignore the pain he was feeling from his mate. As soon as they got in, Minnie dashed away. Now all he could feel from her was soul-cutting sadness, rage, and fear. He didn't even know why the last one was there. What did she have to fear?

What was he supposed to do?! He promised Mimi, told her he would come back! But…no one knew that, but him, Clockwork, and apparently Uncle Nergal…

"Ummm, so are you hungry?"

Mimi didn't move. Jr. was put out by the way she was ignoring him. It seemed like he was always getting the short end of the stick, but this took the cake and everyone was letting him know it. Adram looked sympathetic while Lilith would give him the evil eye. Of course, Charles wouldn't say much, but he knew that while Lord Pain may not have liked the idea much, he knew it was necessary. Minnie had disappeared. He literally couldn't find her from the castle to the grounds. He hoped to God she was alright.

Only his parents seemed to think this was all a game.

"_Bwahahahaha! Me son's a playa!"_

"_She's is your responsibility. Make sure to put her name on her new collar."_

She literally tossed him a fucking collar! Was he the only person taking this seriously?! He didn't like the circumstances anymore than they did, but everyone wanted to fucking joke around. Now he had a new mate that wouldn't speak and his first mate was MIA.

"Fuck my life."

He whispered it lowly, yet Mimi seemed to pick up on it as she turned to him. He nervously chuckled as he saw her looking at him. She held her hands up and it took him some time to figure out what she was asking about.

"Your claws? Umm, if you want them back, I guess you can grow them?"

She shook her head, just stared at her new pair of hands before grabbing his face, making him blush. He gulped, but as soon as it happened, it was over. She then got up and lifted the back of her skirt.

"WOAH, what are you doing?!"

They lifted past her panties and Jr. hid his eyes under his hand. He was muttering, trying to ignore the still silent, yet very cute girl that was doing something completely inappropriate. He could literally feel the blood in his bones gathering in his skull.

Then there was a tap on his hands and he looked up. Right in front of his face was a Nergalian tail, but what got him was the same pair of panties now ripped from their place on her body hanging on the edge of said tail. His body crumbled under the pressure.

Mimi seemed to either not notice his plight, or was ignoring it, but she was more interested in her new tail. It seemed that was what she was missing.

Jr. was able to finally put himself back together. She was only there for five minutes and already she was trying to kill him through blood loss!

"What did I do to deserve this?"

Then he heard a growl. He looked up and it seemed to emanate from Mimi's stomach. He smiled and she looked at her stomach before bending over to poke at it, not exactly noticing her skirt that had ridden up.

"OKAY, time for some better wardrobe. Charles!"

Pain was there in an instance.

"Yes, young master?"

"Can you get Mimi some new clothes?"

"Of course."

Pain was about to leave, but Junior thought better of it. He needed to be more specific; this girl would refuse all types of clothes that didn't have a hole for her tail that she seemed to want at all times.

"Make sure it has holes for tails. I mean everything."

"Yes, young master."

Jr. just hoped that Pain understood he meant panties as well. He looked to Mimi and she was kneeled before him, her blank face still adorable and making his face heat.

"Yeah, so…food. Let's go."

He walked out and Mimi followed.

_TLTS_

Jr. had asked the chef to make Mimi whatever she wanted. The cook was more than happy to service a new guest. Jr. left Mimi alone, stating he had something he needed to do and left her alone. She looked after him.

"Miss?"

Mimi snapped her head to look at him.

"What would you like to eat?"

Mimi just stared.

"…would you care for some roast?"

She shook her head.

"Chicken, turkey, any meat?"

Nope.

"Umm, we have ice cream."

Mimi considered it, but shook her head. The chef sighed, but then thought up an idea.

"How about some cookies, everyone loves cookies?"

Mimi nodded vigorously and stretched her arms wide out.

"Big cookies?! Ohh, you and me are going to get along perfectly. Big cookies coming right up."

_TLTS_

Jeff sat wrapped in his cocoon. He knew of his fate, but that didn't make it any less scary. HIM was going to be furious, not only because he allowed Mimi to leave, but because he showed them where Blossom was.

The main reason Blossom hung on was because HIM did not give her soul peace and he reveled in it. She was always grieving for her daughter and wanted to know where she was. HIM didn't tell her, would only give her wrong directions or misinformation that she would never be able to discern from truth. Now that she knew what happened to Mimi, she was able to finally let go. With that, HIM lost his favorite plaything, his arch nemesis under his control.

Jeff was the only person who knew where she was because HIM made him feed her. With that being said, Blossom and Jeff had met before the Death of Megaville. Just before HIM found them, she made him promise that he would take care of Mimi should anything happen to her.

He still didn't know why he had signed that contract, but it was binding and he had no other choice. A promise was a promise.

"Jeff!"

He gulped, but didn't have time to try to figure out another way. HIM had already made his way into the hidden chamber.

"No, NO! That bitch was mine! Jeff, I know you told her! Come out, you eight legged bastard!"

Jeff tried to squeeze into the corner even farther. He heard fabric being torn and knew his web was being opened. Still, HIM found his way in and he could see the maniacal anger in the red eyes.

"Umm, hey-

HIM grabbed his arm and tossed him out of his webbing, but still held on. SNAP! Once Jeff hit the floor, he broke his arm.

"AAUUUUGH!"

He cradled the twisted appendage and breathed heavily. He looked into the red eyes of his master.

"Where is Mimi?"

"I-I don't know."

HIM brought his foot down on one of Jeff's legs, breaking it in two. It didn't hurt as much as his broken arm did, but he still twinged.

"Tell me!"

"She…I"-SLAP!

Jeff went flying from the force and hit the ground on his back. He couldn't get up as his broken arm hindered any righting. HIM stalked up to him. Jeff coughed up greenish blood.

"…She is no longer a part of your jurisdiction."

HIM knew what that meant and roared. He took his foot and crushed it into Jeff's thorax and the life seeped out, spilling onto the floor.

Just as Jeff's soul rose, HIM snatched it.

"I will be cruel and show Mimi what I have done. Heaven won't be within your reach anytime soon and I will make sure she understands that."

_TLTS_

Mimi was now sitting at the long table in the dining room with a plate of five cookies the size of small plates. The man in red never really did feed her, but then again, she never actually had the need to eat. Sure, she would eat sweets all the time, but that was just for the flavor and want of it. Now, she needed it, like if she didn't, whatever growled inside her would begin to shove needles through her. She'd never experienced this, but it didn't matter; as she ate, the pain went away.

Just as she shoveled another large cookie into her mouth, she began to wonder. Where was she anyway? It was some kind of castle, but in what realm?

Her "father" would tell her they would go to a lot of realms over the year or so she had been with him; she didn't really know how long she had been staying with the man. All she knew was that he was stronger than her and she wouldn't be able to get her mother until the right moment…she'd done so many things while she was with him, some of it, she couldn't even remember.

That brought up another subject. That boy made of bones, who was he? How did he know her name? She never went anywhere without the red man and he would always make sure she came whenever he went anywhere. If not, she would try her best to find her mother and he never liked that, so he made sure she came along so as to keep an eye on her.

She looked at the cookie, and then turned it over to look at her hand; her new, human hand or at least, what supposed was a human hand as she had seen a lot of them when the red man was judging.

As she ate the cookie, she thought about her new situation. Essentially, she was free. Well, away from her "father". Now she was with someone else; maybe, she could finally do what she wanted, but something told her she should stay within her limits. Whatever bone boy did, she was now different and could feel it, as well as him. When she was with him, she could feel his presence, hear his heart beat as if she were against his chest, and actually know his emotions. Right now, he was very sad and angry at the same, but some of it didn't feel lik-

"_MIMI!"_

Her head pounded with the scream. He was back and she doubted he was happy.

_TLTS_

Jr. had searched everywhere, but couldn't find her. Minnie was small, like a kitten and it was endearing, but it also made her stealthy, able to hide wherever she wanted and now he was paying for it.

"Minnie, where are you?"

He wasn't sorry, not for what he did. He was, however, sorry that his sister-mate got hurt in the process.

Suddenly, his head pounded in pain. HIM's face flashed in front of his eyes.

"_Mimi!"_

He ran.

_TLTS_

"_Yes, I killed your beloved pet. Jeff has died and now you are alone…unless you come back. I won't be able to give Jeff life again, but I can surely make it so his afterlife isn't an eternal hell. His fate is your choice."_

Mimi sat on the floor, her tears streaming from her widened face. Jeff was dead. The only other person she really cared for was now dead and she was to blame. If only she didn't insist on finding her mother.

"_ARE YOU LISTENING!? YOUR BASTARD FRIEND IS NOW DEAD!"_

She growled at him and threw what was left of the plate of cookies at the image of him standing before her. Of course, it went right through and hit the wall.

"_Like mother, like daughter. You need to learn your place!"_

HIM wrapped his claw around the floating head of Jeff's soul and began to squeeze. The face didn't make a move, but it looked like an heirloom cracking under pressure.

"_Once I break him into pieces, there will truly be no place for him. He will reach an eternal abyss and never see Heaven. EVER."_

"Fuck you, you son of a bitch!"

Both occupants looked towards the doorway. Jr. stood glaring at HIM.

"Don't listen to him, Mimi. He wants you to come back just so he can chain you up again and once he does, he'll do it right in front of you."

"_Boy, you're the reason this is happening. You took her and now she must be punished for being such a little traitor. Not even a good traitor, but a traitor for the sake of another. I'd rather her smother me in my sleep just so she can take over instead of killing me so she can set her mother free. Such a sickening thing love is."_

HIM crushed Jeff's soul and what was Jeff's soul now was a broken bust of his head.

Mimi let out a heart wrenching sob as she watched her friend be reduced to nothingness.

"No!"

"_What do you have now, Mimi? Nothing! Give yourself up for now, you fight for nothing!"_

And he was gone.

_TLTS_

"Why?"

"Oh, my boy, I am so sorry."

"You couldn't have told me? Does this fucking _amuse_ you?!"

"Watch your tone! I can't change what will happen for the consequences will be fatal, to both you and your mates."

Jr. sat in the chair across from his great uncle. His head was in his hands as he let the tears fall. Not only tears, but everything was falling apart.

Minnie was missing and now Mimi looked himself in his room. She would sob and their combined pain made him feel their pain through the Soul Entwining. He let the pain take him and soon, he was in his Great Uncle Nergal's plane. Nothing was going right and he had so many questions, ones he knew only the demon across from him could answer.

"Don't you understand how much this hurts?"

"Boy, if I knew that there would have been a better way, I would have told you….well, not really."

"Asshole."

"Hey, I know too much already. So many things are going to happen that you aren't going to be able to change, or rather you will have to give in order to maintain a sense of normalcy. I am sorry, but I did say your journey will long."

Jr. curled into himself. It hurt knowing that he caused this. He was a screw up and again and again, everyone who was supposed to be able to count on him was hurt.

"They both hurt because of me."

"…being in love always hurts. You must find a balance to want to continue."

"HIM! How do I severe his connection with her?"

"She must give you her memories willingly. You must take them in, her thoughts and emotions on what has happened to her. Minnie must also accept her and take them in as well."

"_**That's not happening any time soon."**_

"_So now you want to come out?"_

"_**Not my fault you wanted to go fucking with the kings of Hell."**_

"No private conversations in my office!"

Jr. smiled sheepishly then felt his body again. The numbness was leaving him and he knew it would be soon before he was back in the Underworld again.

"How can I just make myself come here?"

"When there's too much pain for a Nergal to handle, all Nergal's return to their predecessor's side."

"That sucks."

He just smirked at Jr. before the boy vanished. The smirk left him and he brought his hands up to clench in a pensive look.

"And so it begins. Seeing his fate brings me to my knees."

_TLTS_

Jr. awoke to see his mother standing in front of him.

"We don't have time for this. Come."

She took him by his collar and dragged him away from his door. The pain wasn't as great, but he could still feel it.

They walked the corridors until they reached his father…still stuck in the stone.

"Hey, dad."

"Boy, we ave a problem."

Jr. looked at them both.

"What's up?"

"Your father's scythe is still in Lucifer's hands."

"_**No duh!"**_

"_Shut up."_

"I know. What should we do?"

"it's not what we should do, it's what you should do. You're going to Hell to get it back."

Jr. stopped his thought process at that. Him?!

"What makes you think I can get it back?! I have to fight all of them if I want it back!"

"Den yeh bettah start practicing wid yeh uncle."

Jr. knew how hard that was going to be. He knew that Uncle Nergal wasn't going to be happy about Minnie or Mimi. The whole situation was fucked.

"Why can't you go?"

"The Nine Circle's of Hell are not in my jurisdiction. I can't go waltzing in there without invite and I doubt Lucy will want me in there while he's planning what he's planning."

"When yeh go in dere, if yeh want ta come back, yeh need ta past a circle your on, to ave set foot on nudda level so that yeh scythe can memba where it's bin. It's like a game wid autosave, except if yeh die…yeh die. I learned date de hard way when I was passing through dere."

"Great."

"You've already gotten through Limbo. Just be careful and not get caught by Mihnos when passing through."

Jr. nodded. He had to fix this. He had to get the scythe back or he could only imagine what the Prince of Hell would do.

"Take Adram."

"Why?"

"Trust me, I know wad I'm talkin bout. Take im wich yeh."

Jr. left his parents. Mandy looked at her husband.

"Do you think he'll make it?"

"If he 'nd Minnie can get past dis, da three of dem will be able to do it."

"Four. You're forgetting his pet."

"Oh yeah! Me son's second mate. Haha!"

_TLTS_

Jr. picked up Adram, Lilith giving him the evil eye the entire time. They'd just opened the door to the portal to Hell when they heard a meek and scratchy voice.

"Where art thou going, brother mine?"

* * *

**And that, my friends, is the beginning. INTERMISSIONS TIME!**


	28. Love or

Getting good yet?

**_Creatures Lying_**: I'm trying man, cut me some slack.

**_Lord Xantos A. Fowl_**: Is that a good thing or bad?

**_Blaze Flames_**: No, no more mates. I already have enough problems with everyone wanting lemons. Jr. isn't ready yet, trust me.

**_Anon_**: Damn and I thought it would make thins a bit more interesting.

**_InfiniteReader_**: Here's another one then. Hope this is to your liking.

Prompt: Love or…

* * *

Did Fate like to regularly have his heart drop into his stomach? He didn't know if he wanted to turn to face his first mate or run into the portal quickly. He had the power, Nergalian speed considered.

"Canst thou not turn to face thine mate?"

He sighed. Although he was afraid of the pain she could give to his already chipping heart, he couldn't deny her voice. He turned to her and wanted to drop to his knees.

Her voice was a liken to her features. Her hair, that which she brushed daily, was lackluster in shine and unkempt. Her eyes were lost of light, hung with curtains of tear trails. He wanted to pull her to him, but he was sure touching him was the last thing she truly desired.

"Minnie, please…"

"Trow, thou would leave me? For what?!"

"Minnie, I can't talk about this. I have to go."

"…prithee, when shalt we speak of this?"

"_When I have the words that can explain to you about all of this."_

"When I get back."

He turned away and walked to the portal. In the back of his mind, however, he knew that she was walking away from him and the need to plead and beg for his mate back was getting stronger. Adram came up from the back and clapped Jr. on the back.

"C'mon man. You can hash that out when you get back. Separation will do you good."

Jr. hoped that was true.

_TLTS_

Getting past Limbo was easy. Mihnos was still too busy ranting to pay attention to the two intruders slipping by. Although he was menacing, he was acting like a child, stomping his feet, and if jr. hadn't hated him so much, he'd have found the entire thing comical.

He was still trying to be sneaky so he wasn't paying attention to where he was walking. Adram whispered out to him speedily.

"Jr., watch out!"

Jr. turned around and stumbled away from the ledge of the cliff he came very close to falling off of. Then he actually took notice as to where he was and stifled his gasp. From both sides, pieces of corpses fell out from the sides of the cliff, but then he actually heard what he was tuning out from. The screaming. Those souls still lived. Others sat on the ledge and looked downwards towards the water, as if trying to figure out if they would jump or not.

"Oh God, what is this?"

"The river Acheron. Here, souls have been judged and are tossed into the waters to be sent to their levels of Hell. We have to wait for the ferry."

Jr. was so curiously horrified. Blood dripped from the crevices of the fleshy rock and body parts twitched and writhed as they fell into the dark, choppy waters. He looked over to see a nearby soul and walked to it. It was male and appeared gauzed in a toga and blood stained it red. He could see wounds and realized it was knife wounds, of the large variety.

"Excuse me."

The soul turned to him. He was fair, his brownish hair curly and full, but his eyes…pupiless. It almost frightened Jr. to want to turn away.

"Ah, a child. Are you here due to an early death?"

"Well, no. I am the son of Death and I am here for the retrieval of my father's scythe."

The man's eyes widened and looked in awe, but it was quickly extinguished.

"That is interesting. But I can't seem to keep my focus for too long. Funny, all that I can remember is my name, Julius. Julius Caesar. Caesar, Caesar, Caesar…"

Jr. stood up as Adram came from behind him. He was pulling him away from the soul that was once again staring into the waters.

"Don't talk to those in Limbo. If they begin to think of their past, they start to want more. They grow violent in those times of want. Besides, Charon is sailing close."

Jr. looked down the stream to see a extremely large and long ark sailing their way. He heard the screams grow louder and they bounced in his head, giving him the beginnings of a headache.

It reached tempo as the boat anchored int front of them. Adram looked down at him in sympathy, but the screams didn't seem to have any effect on him.

"Can't you hear that?"

"No, I paid my fees. The screams are for those who have yet to do so."

"Damn, that's really annoying."

Jr. did his best to tune out the screams, even if they sounded like a bullhorn in his skull. He waited for boat to lay out the walkway, but it never did.

"Hey, Adram, where's the-Adram?"

He looked beside him, but his tall red-headed friend was gone.

"Hurry up slow poke!"

He looked up to see Adram climbing the side of the boat, pieces of the boat crumbling under his weight. It was also made of flesh, disgusting and almost made him want to throw up breakfast.

Adram still climbed on. He was wondering where his charge was and looked down to see if he was climbing with him.

"Too bad you don't have wings."

Jr. was flying above him and he had to pickup the pace if he was to make it to the top. Jr was already over the lip and finding ground. Adram was having a hard time moving as hands reached out for him. He quickly burned them, but they kept reaching and he had to realize, they were already going down, why not take him with them. Then one particular grab caught hold of his chest and pushed. He flamingoed it, trying to bend his leg into stiff and flapping his arms to catch hold of his weight. He pulled an iron man instead and used his flames to upright his chest back onto the boat.

There were no more hands. All the screams were made whimpers and cries now and that made Adram much more nervous. Settled passengers meant Charon was aboard. Which meant Jr. was facing him now.

_TLTS_

Minnie stared out of the window of the castle's high tower. When she first learned to fly, it was one of the first places she found and ever since, she used it to think. Many times, she flew up to think about her dances, recitals and plays she was to attend, her studies, even her patchwork family, but if there was one thing she about most, it was her relationship with her brother.

She was young when she began to feel those feelings, about the same time he snuck into her room and fell asleep in her bed. Of course, at the time, she couldn't exactly place what they were and was as much as confused about the entire thing as she was infatuated with him. She asked her tutor and when Miss Pataki started, her spiel lasted the lesson, going on and on about her husband and even though she hadn't taken his last name, it was because he wanted her to keep it. He fell in love with a Pataki and he was going to marry a Pataki.

While she loved the story, it still confused her on what love was. Was it something she ate, was it an infection? Some years later, she realized she was infected, but God help her, she didn't want to rid herself of it. She knew how much her brother did not see her in the light she saw him. In fact, she knew how much he hated her, not that she paid it too much. She knew if she did, coming back from the darkness that would o'er swell would be nigh impossible.

Light did shine. Weeks before they traversed to her paternal uncle's town, he began to dote on her. Hugs, surprises with his laugh, and the smiles. She loved it when he smiled at her. Him getting kidnapped, however, was the best thing that could have happened to her life. That first kiss, his touch, that playful dabble of his into her talk that utterly was a failure if she ever heard one was one of the best moments in her life, shadowing even the time when she was applauded at her play of Lenore. The rush in her ears when he kissed her was much louder than any applaud she would ever be in front of.

It was fantasy from then on, but what she should have remembered was that in all fantasy, dragons blew flames on the forests of beauty. But who was the dragon; the red-turned-cinnamon skinned demonic child or was her prince charmer the scaly fire breather?

He told her they would talk about it, but would they? They had a second mate! What Jr. didn't take into realization was that Mimi wasn't just his mate, she was hers too. Jr.'s Nergal was Minnie's as well, therefore they both were Mimi's mate and Minnie had to also accept her. Her Nergal had automatically accepted the new mate, but the human in her, even with her mother's evil, still had her hurt and scornful. No amount of grief she could feel from his soul could change that.

"Brother mine, what canst thou say that shalt sway me to your decision?"

_TLTS_

"Damnit, Jr. I should have told you to wait."

Adram had finally reached the ferry's edge and was now looking upon the worst scene he could have ever imagined. Charon towered over Boy Death and it was a menacing sight. He had his cane staff in one hand, ferry light hanging on the edge, and a treasure chest in the other.

"What shall you give me in return for your ride?"

Jr. wasn't shaking, but Adram could see the boy was unsure. This wasn't good. Charon hated to wait, for anyone and anything. That oft led to him beating those who were indecisive.

"I-I don't know?"

"Hurry up, boy, I don't have time to waste! Souls have to be ferried to their punishment."

Adram came up from beside his charge.

"He doesn't have his fees. Can I pay for him?"

"Everyone has to have their own fee. No fee, no ferry! Get off my ferry, now!"

He swiped for them and with it; the ferry shook under his power. Jr. and Adram jumped back.

"Wait! Can't we talk about this?"

"There will be no free rides on my ship!"

"Can't you make an exception?! This is the son of the Reaper!"

"Even Jesus has to have a fee to ride upon my boat! You will get off…or I will make you leave!"

With that, he slammed the butt of his staff into the wood of the ferry, a shockwave erupting out from the contact. Jr. and Adram looked at each other nervously when the wood began to split underneath Charon and hands began to reach up. Charon ghosted to the helm and thrust his staff out from his body, the ferry beginning to move.

"All those who have no fee shall walk the shores of this Stygian sea!"

Corpses emerged from the giant hole and snarled at the two. Jr. brandished his scythe as Adram lit his fire. Adram sighed.

"This is so your fault."

_TLTS_

Jr. dived into the fight, cutting and swiping all that even thought of getting close to him. He and Adram separated into two circles, corpses crowding them.

Jr. waited with bated breath as the first came for him. The first grab missed him and he took the chance to slide his scythe under the head of the ghoul that had attacked. Blood splattered against him, but he didn't have time to shake it off. Two more frayed for him and he had to cart-wheel away before they would get him. He landed on his feet low and cut an arch, severing their feet from their legs. They fell, but in the scheme of the fight, killing would take much more than that. They began to crawl for him and he had to sigh.

"**Persistent bastards huh?"**

Adram burned a hole through the head of one that was coming for him like that of a gun. Several more came, but met a similar fate, each falling to their knees once having been shot in the head. A particular group was emboldened to attack together. Adram smirked and threw a fireball into the middle, igniting the entire brigade. Dead people usually were extremely flammable.

Another had tried to sneak up on him, but he quickly turned around and grabbed his head before setting fire to him, making him a skeleton in minutes before he crushed his head. He clapped his hands to rid himself of the ashes.

"That was really nasty. Anyone got germex?"

Jr. had switched from Reaper to Nergal and was now running through the bunch, slicing anything that dared make way into his vision. A very tall one stood in front once the crowd parted, but he wasn't deterred and put on the speed, rising onto his legs. Just before they collided, he leaped high and twisted, slipping straight through catching arms. He grabbed the head of corpse and using his momentum, snapped the neck to a horrifying position. He landed behind it and stared at the rest. He came up to the body and with his flicking tail, sliced the head off clean as a saw. It flew straight up into the air and Jr. caught it. Then he pulled it apart, roaring against those who challenged him. Now ghouls were mindless, but that didn't mean that danger wasn't instinctual. Every single one took a step back.

The tides were turning in favor of the Prince and his Knight, but not for long. Charon wasn't too involved in his ferrying and he already had his plan in motion. The ferry was headed for the moment where Acheron mixed into the river Styx, i.e. the falls.

Jr. and Adram were still facing off the corpses when the boat rocked and the world tipped downwards. They looked at each other, then at Charon.

"What are you doing?!"

"Ridding my ferry of unwanted guests!"

They screamed as the boat finally slid into a fall against the black waters. Those ghouls that weren't paying attention fell from the boat into the sea. Adram had been closest to the edge, but just before falling, he caught the lip and held on against the falling limbs and body parts. Jr. had fallen just a little too away from the deck and was now falling away from the boat. Just before he slipped to far away, Adram caught him by his tail. Charon continued with his bellows from above, as if the gravitational pull didn't apply to him at all.

"You will not get a free passage from me!"

Just as Jr. could hear the yell, he saw something slither underneath the water.

"**What the fuck is that?"**

Jr. got the answer as a fish face emerged from the falls to eat his face off. He pushed his hands towards it and allowed the force to push him back up, away from the danger before he faced the fall again, the creature falling away into the distance.

"What the hell?!"

"The Stygian creatures shall devour you both!"

Jr. could see several more of the creatures under the water and knew he had to fight if they were to make it anywhere near the bottom.

"Adram, let go of me! I have to take them down if we want to make it!"

"But-!"

"Just do it!"

Just as Adram let go, Jr. let his wings emerge and flew to the left, leading the creatures away from his hanging friend.

He waited for the first of them to attack, his Nergalian scythe coming back out. The first fish demon that splashed out was separated in half, black blood spilling down to the boat's side. He tried to keep flying down in order to keep up, but as he focused on the boat, the creatures focused on him. Left, right, from the front, to the back, he was attacked from all sides, nearly getting bitten again and again.

"**You really need to get this flying thing down."**

"Need any help back there?"

"I'll tell you when to fire!"

Jr. flew closer to the path of the boat, right in Adram's line of fire. He could see them pack getting bold and began to swim closer to the surface.

"Pull!"

Adram fired, just as the fish jumped out. Jr. could hear the ungodly scream as it fell to the land. Then he actually saw the land.

The images from Earth were fantasized in his opinion. Hell was a horror incarnate. Souls screamed from their prisons of their place. With his Nergalian eyes, he could see even their skin, rotted and falling even as the owner screamed in agony. In the far off distance, a large Coliseum place towered over and Jr. could feel the power emanating from it all. Then a fish flew by, just missing him.

"Jr., move!"

An entire brigade jumped from the falls. Jr. twisted and rolled away from gnashing teeth and Adram's fireballs. Then one of his wings got caught in a mix of incisors and gnarled lips.

"_AUGH!"_

"Jr!"

Jr. felt his wing get torn and mangled from his body. He'd heal, but _fuck_, _it hurt!_

Adram looked on as several more fish jumped to catch his charge unguarded. He threw more flames, each one getting caught in its back. He had to get them out of this. Charon would definitely not allow them to leave so readily. Then the fire in his demonic soul flared. something big was approaching, something nasty.

"Nicor shall engulf you in his jaws, Prince of the Underworld. Do you feel it, King of Flames?"

Adram didn't need to feel it anymore, he could see it. A giant shadow colored the bottom of the falls.

"Jr! Can you hear me, man?!"

Jr. was still reeling from the torn ligament on his back. He could vaguely hear Adram calling him, but he never had this pain before. No one had ever gotten him this good. He opened his eyes to look back, but instead looked into the depths of something out of a fisherman's nightmare. The thing had to be as long as a whale, but twice as big. That wasn't counting the teeth, each the length of a javelin, but oh so sharper.

"_**Good fuck! What is that?!"**_

"_I don't know."_

Adram had to make a decision. It never occurred ot him that he was now a babysitter to some soon to-be-horny preteen with a sister complex and a thing for mutes. He could leave him, let him get eaten and travel to another realm. The Grim Reaper was feared and all, but he was fire. He could spread with the wind and leave just as quickly. Lilith wouldn't mind, she didn't mind much, but still…sins were forgivable.

"Have to be out my fucking mind."

Adram exploded from the boat to catch Jr. He could feel the blood on his stomach, but he didn't have time to play doctor. With aim a baseball player could only dream of, he tossed Jr. towards the windlands of the Circle of Lust and readied himself. Charon's ark was beginning to transport from the falls, the boat having come to its destination. Souls fell around him, screaming in horror at having seen the monster they were about to be devoured in.

"Ain't this gonna be a barrel of fun people?"

CHOMP!

_TLTS_

Jr. had fainted midway between the catch in Adram's arms and the throw, but once hitting the ground, he recovered. The pain had been great, but he didn't have time to knock out. Adram needed-

"ADRAM!"

His friend had fallen into the belly of the beast, quite literally. From his place on the cold, icy ground that it felt like fire, he watched, horrified that his Knight was going to die.

"No, not on my watch he won't."

Jr. put on the speed, dampened by the pain in his back. He had to time this right and looked for a high point. Nicor was beginning to swim away from the falls, his place in Hell sending him to the levels everyone was deserving of. He felt his claws grow and he growled. Just as Nicor was getting in his sights, he sprinted towards the tree that held just above the waters. He leaped, once, twice, and onto Nicor's scaly and slimy back he went. He hung hard just as the giant swerved hard.

"C'mon you overgrown guppy! Time for a little gutting."

He grunted as he dug his claws into the back. He was making way, but slowly and Adram was most likely being digested at this very moment. Nicor screamed and groaned and Jr. grinned.

"How you like that?-!"

Nicor lurched hard. Jr. knew he hadn't down that, though. What was going on? Then, out of Nicor's mouth, a yellow light glowed. Come to think of it, the flesh under him was beginning to feel warmer by the second.

"Adr-!"

SPLOSH! Jr. flew away from the chunks of fried fish meat that had exploded out of the water. He landed, the blow winding him. Then he heard a thud right beside him.

"Damn…that bastard stunk like a fucking sewer-

*sniff-sniff*

"…and now so do I."

All of a sudden, he was tackled to the ground. Adram sat back as Jr. gripped him.

"Hey, this is a little too mushy, man."

"…I can't do this alone."

Jr. sat back and looked at the ground, dejected and pensive.

"I can't do this by myself, not with the way everything is going. You can't die."

Adram looked at him and opened his mouth.

"Well, you just might."

That didn't come from Adram's mouth. The two of them shot around to look at the same group they had come looking for. The Seven Princes of Hell. Asmodeus was smirking at the front of the group, an eyebrow raised. He drawled out to them.

"Succubus eat your tongue?"

* * *

**So, how's it? This will be drawn out more than I wanted it to be, but trying to fit each level of Hell in just one chap is a little difficult. I can't do _Justthisguyyouknow_ ****(great freaking author, writer of I'll Walk You Home, a Tokka fic). The ending isn't cliche, but rather trying to keep to the storyline Bleedman has it, tweaked from this Universe's perspective cause remember, Jr. created an alternate universe where Minnie never died. We'll get more into why everything is a bit different, and why Jr. never lost his Nergal powers in the first place.**

**Hope everyone had a great Christmas!**


	29. Lustfully Bonded

Still Good?

I made a little oneshot called Only Time Will Tell. It just showcases everything Jr has been through in summary and just little hint of the future. (Can anyone help me pick out names for Jr's sons?)

I also did this without the help of my beta, so if there are any mistakes, it's all me. This was long, didn't want to overwhelm him.

Prompt: Lustfully Bonded

* * *

_Deep in the ocean, dead and cast away_

_Where __**innocence**__ is burned in flames_

_A million miles from home, I'm walking ahead_

_I'm frozen to the bones, I am_

Jr. stood slowly along with Adram, both eyeing the Princes of Hell warily. Asmodeus grinned and licked his lips slowly.

"So, what brings the Prince of the Underworld to our realm?"

Jr. gripped his scythe tightly, not trusting for anyone not to move against him and his knight. He remembered each one. He was staring into the eyes of the blue eyed one that stood before them.

"I-I-"

"Stop stuttering, boy. If you can't speak your mind, maybe you shouldn't have one. Just like your mother."

Jr. didn't know why, but the words that slew from the red eyed one turned him to pure rage.

"Satan, stop provoking his anger like that."

"I can't help it; he's still so young that he can't keep a lid on it."

Jr. could feel his anger being unleashed. He didn't care that much about what he'd said about his mother, she knew how to care for those who spoke ill of her, but for some reason, his head was bouncing.

"_**The bastard is insulting our kin! Fucking show him what respect means!"**_

Jr. could feel his claws lengthen and teeth sharpen. His Nergal was overriding his sense and he couldn't hold it.

Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. Adram wasn't even staring at him, but slowly, the rage was leaving him. He was feeling stupid and shameful of it.

"You are going to stop it."

Satan, who was smirking earlier, was now red faced with his own anger.

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO, BOY?!"

Adram lit his hands and stared at him, his face not changing. Jr. was unsure if this was his fight anymore.

"We are here for the scythe."

The violet eyed one raised a brow.

"You mean this scythe?"

He brandished the scythe and Jr. felt a more righteous anger enter him.

"Give that back! You stole it from my dad, you dick!"

"Whoa, mouth on this one."

Jr. brandished his own scythe and stomped the butt into the ground. When his voice came out, his childish crack was gone and he was the Prince.

"Give me my father's scythe and my ripping of your entrails will be painless. Now."

Everyone blinked. Adram stood right next to him, unyielding. Then, the purple eyed one laughed at them.

"You truly believe that I, Lucifer of the Underworld, will give this back? Your father is beneath me and does not deserve the power he has. Come to think of it, neither do you."

"Would you like to take that power from me? Someone's already tried and they ended up no longer a part of this existence."

Lucifer looked to Asmodeus.

"I can't take this insolence. If it please you, kill the little boy and bring him back to his father in a bag, please. Adramelech…I hope you haven't forgotten about us. Your mother is worried sick."

"The Whore of Babylon is no one's mother. I think I'd rather be spawned."

Asmodeus looked back.

"Just go, I'll be there soon. I think boys like this one need a little…touch of something humbling."

The rest smiled and Lucifer cut a hole into the universe with his father's scythe. They left soon after. Asmodeus turned to look at them both.

"Well, boys shall we have some fun?"

_TLTS_

Minnie stared at the door to her brother's room. She could hear sniffling from the other side of the door.

What was she doing here? She didn't care for the girl that her brother had chosen for their mate. If anything, she wished she didn't exist. Her dream wouldn't be a dream anymore with her. She didn't even want another mate!

"_How could he have made such a mindful thought for us?"_

Thing was, that _was_ her mate and because of it, she would feel what her mate felt. Right now, incredible sorrow ran through her and she knew it wasn't her own.

"Mate of my heart, I beseech thee, open thine mate's door."

She knew she wouldn't get an answer back. Her _mate_ was a mute and would never speak to her beyond that of emotion.

She sighed. Well, if she wouldn't get an answer, she would certainly speak her mind.

"Be of mind that even though you are a mate of mine, I certainly have no hopes of your stay. I have no true love for you…"

She was met with silence, but then something interesting happened. The door creaked and she was met with ruby eyes. Her feelings were turned to curiosity and apprehension.

"Thou art of empty mind to the situation."

The door opened more and she was staring at the almond face of the girl named Mimi. It was actually the first time seeing her since her change.

Her brother had given her a white dress. It wasn't anything extravagant, a blouse with a black belt that made her think about her mother when she was young. She had the same boots on though.

"I figured thou would hole thyself up till Earth's apocalypse."

Mimi only stared.

"May I enter?'

Mimi stared some more and then turned to the side so that Minnie could walk in.

"Thank thee."

Mimi nodded, the first response she ever seen the girl give. She didn't much for it.

She looked around her brother's room. It hadn't been long since she had been in here. Once they mated, she often would slip into her brother's room and sleep right next tom him, head to chest, breath ghosting his just pubescent hairs. She could still scent him and a mixture of herself as well and she breathed deeply. As much as she was angry with him, he still calmed her down.

That didn't change the fact that she could smell _her_ now inside the room, on the bed…dug in his covers.

"Why haven't you left?"

Mimi had come to sit on the bed and it didn't anger Minnie, just annoy her. She was looking at her with blank eyes and unexpressed mouth.

That's what made her most apprehensive about the union. Her mate was a mute and an emotional wall. There was no face of feeling, but she could feel those feelings. Therein lie the problem; when they were close together, she couldn't tell if the emotions she felt through her entwining were her brother's or the girl's

"You are free. You don't have to stay."

Mimi looked away from her and glanced around the room. Her brother's room. Once again, that curiosity came back, but something else as well. Embarrassment, wonder, and…a slight pump of her heart.

Minnie knew what that heart pump was.

"Thou hath infatuation with gallantry!? Mine heart is not thou's knight in silver armor, but mine own!"

Minnie stomped out and slammed the door, though the feelings didn't leave, but she could feel something else within her heart; shame and question. What she couldn't figure out was if it was coming from herself or the girl?

_TLTS_

Jr. and Adram both waited with bated breath as they faced Asmodeus. Jr. finally got an actual look at the guy. He was halfway wearing a button up shirt, his chest showing. Halfway meaning one sleeve was off and the other was slightly on his shoulder, slightly on his arm, making it look like he had a fur on instead of a shirt. His pants were tight on him, showcasing his package. Sick.

"Well, anyone going to start?"

Jr. was tempted to run straight at him, but his Nergal wouldn't shut up and continuously told him to wait.

"_**Trust me; you don't want to go stabbing blindly at his guy."**_

What did his Nergal know that he didn't?

"Why did you take my father's scythe? Who are you guys?"

"Oh god, pleasantries. For someone supposed to be Death's heir, you don't know much about the other **Hellish Plains**, do you?"

Jr. looked perturbed, annoyed and embarrassed that he really didn't know what or who they were.

"You see, we are the Seven Princes of Hell, rulers of each sin and demon within our levels of Hell, the embodiment of evils within all humans that have given their souls over to us! Well, it's actually wrong because there are nine levels of hell. Guess we couldn't split ourselves into more sins for each level."

Asmodeus shrugged pensively. Jr. couldn't help, but feel somewhat hesitant about this particular Prince.

"What sin do you embody?"

Asmodeus seemed to revel in the answer.

"Lust."

Jr. felt a shiver pass through him.

"Do you feel that? I could. Yes, I know all about your little enrapture with your sister, as well as the spawn of Mihnos."

Jr. didn't reply, couldn't. His mouth was too dry, his thoughts racing by seconds, his hands clammy. He didn't know why this…thing made him feel like he wanted to run away. Asmodeus began to circle them, not close, but enough that Jr. could hear him loud and clear.

"I've seen it all and I wonder, this love you hold for your sister; is it true love or just something your little horny mind concocted because she was the closest girl you could find."

"Jr, don't listen. He's trying to make you doubt yourself, make you feel shame."

He could hear Adram, but that didn't stop his Nergal from doing the opposite.

"_**I am only a piece of your sister and what your sister feels for you isn't all that innocent…you know that as well as I do."**_

"_Why can't my sister love me like just a guy, why does everyone say it's so bad."_

"_**Incest has always been frowned upon. Those of the same blood are never supposed to mix, it isn't natural."**_

"_Stop it."_

"What makes it even worse is that you couldn't stop at just your sister, but also the girl, that piteous daughter of that whore hero. Is she your next conquest, will you make her like her mother?"

"Stop it, end it!"

"Are you going to create a harem? Who else shall you pull, that ghost girl from the well?"

Jr. couldn't think, the voices all over the place riding into his head. Asmodeus' was the loudest.

"You know that when your sister dies, she won't be able to get into heaven because she loves you so. She will die, with how negligent you've' been. How long has it been since she last died?"

Jr's eyes widened to dinner plates and he swallowed thickly. How did he know?

"Her tentacles ripped form their sockets, her arm and legs torn off. Such a sweet girl with such tasty lust, giving her all for a brother who didn't even love her, how delicious. You know, I actually want to see how she shall taste. I am lust, I think she will suffice.

The ground below erupted. Asmodeus had leapt back away from the flames that scorched the fluid ridden ground of the second level of hell. Adram stood in front of a surprised Jr., who was starting to stand again.

"I think you just went a little too far."

"What, don't think she'd taste incredible? Her mother was a looker; I think she'd be a second best."

Jr. growled loud and angrily. NO, no more pity and fear. He knew too much, he disrespected his mom, himself, and both his mates!

"ARGGGH"

Jr. had shoved his scythe's blade into the ground with all his might, splitting rock right up to the Corrupter of Desire.

"You may be a prince, but so am I. I deserve respect; as well do my mates and you will show it. I will ask only once more because you have tried my patience to the fullest extent; give my father's scythe back!"

Asmodeus grinned maliciously.

"Try me, boy."

"_**Cut. His! HEAD! OFF!"**_

Jr. grew his claws and clutched his scythe hard.

"I hope you're ready. I will rip out your stomach and feed it to you, you bastard."

_TLTS_

Adram hadn't paid much attention to the conversation, only to the fact that Deus had been trying at Jr's emotions. He knew that was what Deus was going to go for, but he didn't know that Jr. had felt that bad about how he felt about his sister. And did he mean, die again?

He didn't have much time to think as they had already gone about fighting Asmodeus.

Jr. had sprint quickly across the dirty plain and swiped at the prince. Deus dodged and punched the ground. Horns sprout from the underside and now it's Jr. retreating, moving from side to side to keep from impalement.

Adram comes from behind Jr. and throws fire balls, both hands aflame and dangerous. Deus slips between and catches Adram in the chest, sending him with a kick of his legs. He bounds off the floor and back onto his feet with the spring of his back as Adram slides away, trying to keep balance.

"That isn't the best you can do, is it?"

Jr. comes running, twirling his scythe expertly, as if he had the weapon his entire life. Rocks were being cut from the ground and thrown at Deus. His opponent covered his face with his arms and flipped away from Adram's fire fist.

"Girls, I think these two need to cool down, what you think?"

Moans entered Jr's ears and he was blinking at pale skinned, naked woman with bat wings at their back. Pardon him, somewhat naked. Demonically chiseled boots, sharp as daggers, covered each foot, as well as black gloves of the same features. What could pass as a bra strapped their breasts and a cup covered the flesh of their groins. He could still see their hairs just above.

"Like them? Took me some time to finally get them perfect, but then again, humans hadn't even been made yet, so they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. That's not all."

The same woman walked the ground; just without wings and their groin covers were curiously silver.

"Jr. watch it!"

Jr. moved before even knowing what he was dodging. One had crept from behind him and…shot some phallic tentacle from its groin. He felt a disgust well within him and he wanted to retch.

More creatures rode up from behind them; Minotaurs with bull heads and rams horns with naught, but cloths covering them, not even fully as he saw slightly what large lie underneath. It was almost grotesque in size and he knew as any boy with searching nature that it would be impossible to fit any woman, human or otherwise.

"Please play nice with these two. I want slaves after this is over."

They encroached on the two and the duo and hit back to back.

"This just got more interesting, huh?"

"More like fucking perverted."

That was all they could get out before the demons attacked.

_TLTS_

Minnie didn't know why, but her heart was beginning to beat harder. It couldn't be the girl, she checked on her just a minute ago and she was asleep.

What was her brother doing that was making him so strenuous; she could feel his emotions even through the portal. Where was he? She didn't know all the places the portal went, but its main destination was the Nine Circles of Hell. Why would he go there?

"I hope mine heart is safe. Please, brother, thou's return is most needed."

Perhaps she should ask her father if he knew where he was.

_TLTS_

Jr. cut through the phallus that had reached for him, the screech that followed thrumming his skull while he sliced through the torso of a Minotaur that had gotten too close. Blood spurted, but it was congealed and the way it spurted…he tried not to think too much on it.

Adram was having a different problem. He couldn't get enough of a burn on to expertly kill one of the demons. He would blast one, but another would immediately pull it away and take its place, coming to slash at him with claws sharp enough to gouge out his stomach.

Asmodeus was sitting on a throne made of the demons, each one creating a specific part. He was looking on with disinterest, instead taking to caressing the buttocks of one of the woman.

"You are exceptionally voluptuous my dear, I take great pleasure in creating you."

Jr. would continuous hear him praise one of his "creations" in various vulgarities as he battled. Touching them, grabbing them. While he had felt disgusted, in the back of his mind all he could think about was how Minnie would rub against him if they were in their moods, trying to get at him harder, as if wanting to meld into one person.

He hadn't taken notice as Asmodeus was looking directly at him, smiling as if he had finally gotten exactly what he wanted. He was too wrapped in his thoughts, but it seemed as though all the enemies were backing away, slower so as not to rile him. He couldn't take notice as his thoughts actually devoured his mind.

"Brother mine…"

Jr's mind stopped. Why was she here?

"Please, brother…"

He could hear her, smell her, feel her. It was his sister, his mate and she was asking of him. How did she…?

"Brother, I followed thee. I was so worried that you had left me, afraid that something had happened. You didn't tell me that where you were going and I was afraid I…"

His eyes glazed over and he could feel his mate's breath, her hands ghosting over his chest and abdomen.

"No, Mins, I…I really can't remember what I'm doing. I think I was fighting, but I don't know for what."

"Dost it truly matter? We art together with nary a thought that shalt tear away from us."

"But Mimi…?"

"…_**who is she…?"**_

"If that is what thou wish, I shalt certainly not mind having her."

"But you were against me mating her."

"Art thou not happy with my decision?"

"_Happy…?"_

That's just it, he didn't feel anything. If his sister was on him, he would feel the sheer want from her, the power of their mating calling him. This couldn't be her.

"Who are you?"

"Brother mine-

"Spare the theatrics and stop lying! Get off me!"

The doppelganger clung to him, whimpering in fright, but that didn't deter him from freeing himself. As soon as he got loose, he grabbed her neck and breathed deeply. It was close, but this wasn't her true scent. He could barely smell himself on her when just this morning, what he smelled like wrapped around her body like perfume.

"…fucking…BASTARD!"

He held her up and his vision finally came into play. Asmodeus was on the edge of his seat, incredulous with anger and his hands gripping his "creations" rather painfully. Jr. stared directly at him and snapped the neck of the mimicry he was holding, throwing the now limp body straight at the lord of lust. Asmodeus couldn't catch her in time and was hit in the face.

"You fucking brat! How dare you kill one of my best creations!?"

Jr. pulled his scythe from the ground and faced against the now enraged Deus.

"No more! I will kill you myself and rip out your tongue to skull fuck you with it!"

Jr. was wary. All the demons that had been encroaching again began to melt into the ground, the flesh on the dirt writhing as it sucked in the demonic skin and bones. He caught sight of Adram, his fists ablaze and sweating hard.

Then, the retreating began to melt and slid towards Asmodeus. They all began to clot onto his body, merging and solidifying onto his form. Jr. was so enraptured; he jumped when Adram came up from behind him.

"We are so fucked."

"How come?"

"It's his true form."

Jr. looked back and finally got a true glimpse of what the Princes of Hell truly were. Asmodeus was no longer the suave face that had been glaring at them. Now, his skin was that of his eyes, blue skinned. His hair was actually violet compared to everything else. The flesh that was visible had strips covering like a zebra. Two menacing heads emerged from his back, spinal arms with skulls of a ram and bull with their jaws unnaturally sharp and snapping at the ends and a tail with the same structure with that of a giant snake with fangs that would make a lion run with fear jerked around, hissing at them both. He was a chimera with the body of a man and the rest, animalistic.

What was the worst were his eyes. They were red with his pupils right in the middle, as if zeroed in on him.

If Jr. had time to shiver, it was only a second. Asmodeus arrived in front of both of them and it was almost as if the violence was a person.

He decked Adram in the neck, throwing his flaring body clear across the lands. He slid across the fleshy ground, right until he hit the edge of a cliff, just above the rushing waters that housed the souls of the dead…who all seemed to notice that someone was just above land, a place away from the harsh river Styx. Some had grabbed onto his hair and while some had let go from the pain of heat, others held on with their lives, slowly pulling him in.

"Get the fuck off of me!"

Jr. barely got his scythe up before Prince Deus hit him too, sending him upwards instead of away, but just as he flew upwards, Lust grabbed his ankles and slammed him into the ground.

Jr. jerked off the ground and gasped, but was met with a vicious grip to his spine. He was picked up like a rag doll and shook around. He held on with dear life, but he knew if he didn't get the bastard off him quick, he'd be separated from his body and become powerless.

Suddenly, Adram came from behind and let loose a series of punches to Asmodeus, sending him careening and knocking Jr. loose.

Jr. dropped to the ground and coughed into his hands. Adram kneeled beside him, but kept his eye on the prince.

"You have to get up. He'll kill us both if he sees an opening."

Jr. got up slowly and looked at the demon he faced. He was quick and stricking, like a cobra. He was easy to fight and parry when he wasn't suped up, but now it was as if he was fighting a cheetah.

He clenched his scythe and it dissolved into dust.

"_**LET ME OUT!"**_

The once joking, perverted demon he hid in his body was gone, now replaced by a ravenous beast. He could feel the flesh crawl up his bones, covering every weakness. His mate's eye rolled into his socket and from it, darkness grew around his body, black skin creating a dangerous being. His wings spread, his claws sharpened, and his tail flicked with a promise of slicing flesh.

Adram watched his charge become more of something else entirely. He once again had himself wondering if being with this boy was such a good idea.

Whether he was sure or not, there wasn't much time. Jr. had started to move. Asmodeus also began to run, his various beast heads roaring as if to spur him on. They jumped together and it was as if forces of nature clashed together.

Asmodeus had kicked out with his right leg, which now had been encased in bones that looked avian in character, talons sharp and cutting. Jr. caught it and brought his own leg up to catch Deus' side. It worked and sent lust down into the ground.

Jr. fell down, claws first in hopes of gouging out Deus' stomach. Instead, the bull and ram came up and caught Jr's hands before he could get close. He was tossed from side to side before they let go and Jr. crashed into a tree. He growled once he was able to right himself.

Asmodeus stood up from the crater he made and hissed at him. Jr.s was the first to initiate and flew straight at the seven foot demon. He punched and kicked, all in vain with blocks and dodges. He flipped in the air then dropped and ran up to meet him. He locked himself in with the bull and ram again, trying to push and pull at them until he could get close enough. He used his tail to slice at Deus' snake should it feel bold enough to come close.

Asmodeus didn't account for Adram. He came up from behind and caught his tail in flamed hands. The snake hissed and screeched out a foul sound. Deus' looked back and yelled at him, but could do nothing as Jr. still had hold of both his animal heads.

"How about a little tug of war?"

At that moment, both Jr. and Adram began to walk back, pulling at the extra appendages. The bull and ram heads which had at first been biting were now wriggling in hopes of escape, which Jr. didn't offer. He gripped harder, extending piercing tentacles from his back and stabbing them into one of the junctures of the spinal cords. He could hear the cracking.

Adram held on as best he could. The viper was doing a mix between snapping at him and screeching. Every time it flicked its head, he would almost get lifted from the ground.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

Still, now the head was only struggling to be able to move. The screams were gone and now-

KRSSSSSSHHHHCK! Jr. and Adram flew away from Asmodeus, both holding onto the ends.

Jr. stood up and the heads and partial spines of the bull and ram. He threw them over his shoulder and looked towards the still blue body.

Adram rubbed his head and looked up. The snake head was on the ground, wriggling and gliding across the ground, all before it stopped completely. He turned to where Asmodeus was lying and saw Jr. begin to walk towards him.

"Be careful."

Just as he said that, Deus' shot up from the ground and kicked at Jr. with his armored leg. Jr. caught it and snapped the ankle, holding on while Asmodeus shivered in pain.

"Ahh, never mind."

Jr. stared at Lust with emotionless eyes before he grabbed the leg with his other hand farther down and pulled with the hand that gripped the foot. Blood spurted onto his face once it came off and he didn't even flinch.

Deus did, however, and was now trying to crawl away. Jr. walked up beside him and laid his hands gently on his back. Deus stopped moving and looked up behind him. Jr. wasn't even looking at him anymore, just his back. Deus turned around and lowered his arms to rest, looking at Adram. It was a staring contest, but it was Adram who looked away.

GLUSSSHHHH! Jr. had dug his hand into Deus' back and was now in the process of removing his spine. It was bloody and gory and Asmodeus would flinch and twitch every time Jr. pulled out a section. Soon, he was holding Asmodeus' spine, a mixed color of blood red and bone white shining out, with the spine attached to the three ends of the broken head pieces. It withered into dust and the blood dripped from his hands.

"…you, *gurgle*, won't leave with your father's scythe…*cough*"

He was still alive.

"Lucifer, *breathes deeply*…Lucy will kill, *ghack*, before you ever see that thing again."

Jr. emerged his scythe.

"I wouldn't count on it."

Asmodeus' head was rolling within the next instant.

Jr. let the flesh receded into his hood. He was boney again. Adram came up next to him. He looked up at him and sighed.

Then Jr. felt it; his father's scythe. He looked up and Adram followed his view to see the last six Princes of Hell standing on a cliff just above them.

"We're going to have to kill them all, aren't we?"

Adram didn't answer, as if the answer weren't already known. Each and every one of them would have to die before they ever got that scythe back. But for what reason…why?

_TLTS_

Minnie walked up to the stone staircase, standing at the bottom. She stood before her father and he looked at her, not saying a word. It wasn't as if he didn't know why she was there.

"Brother mine, where is he?"

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait, college is the only time I will ever have to put fanfiction aside and be a good student.**

**So, how was that for a fight scene? Was it good or do I need a little more practice? Haven't been able to really get fight scenes, just romance.**


	30. A Gluttonous Masochist

Still Good?

Prompt: A Gluttonous Masochist

* * *

_A soldier on my own, I don't know the way_

_I'm riding up the heights of __**shame**_

_I'm waiting for the call, the hand on the chest_

_I'm waiting for the fight and fate_

Jr. and Adram decided to keep up with the Princes of Hell, opting to pass on the return trip home. Adram led them to a large winding castle, bursts of air coming out of the front door and windows.

"What's this?"

"Asmodeus' Skin Castle."

It wasn't a large palace by any means, but there was a large backside with a giant hurricane coming out the backside. If Jr. didn't know any better, he'd say he could hear screams. That couldn't be right, could it?

Adram walked inside first, lighting a flame when he realized it was very dark.

"Keep right behind me, I can barely see in this."

Jr. caught onto the back of Adram's shirt, letting him take lead in the expedition. However, ever so slightly, Jr. could hear flaps of wings. It was very small and with how dark it was, Jr. figured there were bats here.

"Does-or rather did Asmodeus keep bats?"

"Um, I don't think the lord of the lustful would keep little guano shitting bats in his house. Why do you ask?"

"Because I keep hearing flapping…I think above us."

Adram created a larger flame, illuminating the room to fully see inside. They looked up at the same time and were staggered. The very demonic winged women that they had fought not too long ago resided atop the ceiling of the castle, glaring at them intently from above. Thousands.

"Uh, _ehem_, hello ladies," a very contrite Adram said, his face extremely nervous. Jr. thankfully kept his mouth zipped.

They didn't respond, only stared at the duo harder, more menacingly.

"Um, if you could so pleasantly point us in the direction of the back, we would be so gracious." Adram called up, hoping to get a response. He did this time, however, not the response he was hoping for.

"You killed him," one spoke towards Junior, looking straight at him.

"Wha?" said a very confused Jr.

"Our master is no longer with us to give us the pleasures we wish for because of you", the one who had spoken before snarled out, "And we have to think of ways to torture our guests without him."

Adram's flames became irrelevant as the entire palace was given light. Jr. and Adram stared around at the sight. It was vast in size, but what really caught their eyes were the various human sized tubes. Each one was filled with men and women, their bodies bloody and sliced from winds that cut through them continuously. They looked harder and could see the wounds healing, only to be cut again. The winds would get very violent, pulling at the skins until flesh started coming off at a rapid rate and body parts would get torn asunder.

"Good God," a morbidly curious Jr. said in fright.

"We will punish you for your sins!"

All of the succubae that had been lying against the ceiling began to flap their wings erratically, malevolence filling their eyes. They swarmed downwards and the duo ran as fast as they could, running between the tubes.

"Run towards the back, we have to make it to the end of the palace!" shouted Adram.

Jr. nodded and sped up, his Nergalian speed forcing him to his transformed hands and feet. He made it to the back before Adram and looked at the back in confusion. It was like giant, thin lips leading to the hurricane outside.

"What the hell is that?" asked Jr. in hardened perplexity.

Adram made it just in time, as the winged women chased after him. He caught up to the Prince and looked at the entrance, grimacing. It didn't take a scientist to know what he was looking at, but it showed that Junior still didn't know much about the world.

"Look, we don't have time for an anatomy lesson right now, just go!" a frank Adram told his charge, looking back at the mounting force behind him.

"But what's with the sideways mouth and the small button at the top?"

"Just GO!"

Adram pushed Jr. through, forcing him into the hurricane. They twirled round and around and it was then Jr. realized the screaming he heard was very real. Human body parts were being shot out the end, still living and twitching. Jr. did his best not to bump into any of them, his disgust and horror multiplied. Adram grabbed him just as they passed round.

"Hold onto me tight!" yelled Adram.

Jr. clutched him like a lifeline just as they were flown straight into the air by the harsh end of the hurricane.

They flew into the air at top speed. Just as they reached the apex, Jr. took an actual look into the land.

It was MASSIVE! Hell was the epitome of vastness, into the distance was a large coliseum, red and yellow with fires with darkness surrounding the entirety of the land. He caught Adram's hand and flapped his own wings.

"This is Hell?!" called an amazed Jr.

"Pretty much!"

Jr. flew them across the plains and he could see where the river morphed into a yellowy swamp. Adram gestured for him to set them down next to the river and Jr. began flying lower. Just as he did, the smell hit him like a punch in the face.

"What the hell is that?!" Jr. tried to say without having to ingest too much of the bitter and rancid air.

"We've entered into the land of gluttons. Sorry for not warning you earlier!" yelled an apologetic Adram.

As they flew closer, the smell got worse until Jr. could take no more and just dropped them. They fell onto the mushy land and coughed, doing their best to keep from retching. Adram stood first and pulled Jr. up with him. The smell was horrid, a mix of garbage and excrement. It seemed, however, the liquids didn't stick to them. Junior put the back of his hand to his face and looked down.

"What's up with this place? I can feel the crap, but it doesn't stick to my clothes."

"It's because we aren't a part of this realm. Human souls that have sinned through gluttony belong here and it only applies to them."

Jr. looked around to take view of the area. The water was a yellow hue, and with the smell, was reminiscent of murky urine. Large stalagmite stalks rose out of the yellow, colored white. Jr. wiped a finger down one and the waxiness stuck to the end.

"Where do we go from here?" Jr. raised a brow to Adram.

"Walk towards the larger fat stalks."

"This is fat? Man, that's nasty!"

Jr. rubbed his hand on his sweats and breathed through his mouth. It was going to be a long journey.

They winded their way through the stalks that grew larger and larger until it seemed as though they were walking through a forest of fat. Just as it got to the size of skyscrapers, Jr. could feel droplets begin to fall onto his head and shoulders.

"Where's an umbrella when you need one?" Jr. spoke as a large globule almost hit his shoulder.

"Bigger problems."

Jr. looked where Adram pointed and saw something that he was sure to put him off burgers for a while. A giant wave of hot, fatty grease was rushing towards them, melting the stalks and making steaming sounds.

"We gotta move, now!" Jr. grabbed Adram just as he finished his sentence, pulling him up towards the yellowish white trees.

They burst through, fat hanging from their clothes. Jr. was only holding Adram up with one hand, using the other to hold his nose. They headed towards a large crevice that had orange liquid flowing out.

"Odd."

Jr. realized the smell was lessening. Not going away, but becoming more manageable. With the smell nearly gone, Jr. began to get more comfortable with his surroundings. He leveled out before finally setting Adram and himself onto the ground.

"Are we getting close?" Jr. looked to Adram for an answer.

"Please don't start the "Are we there yet?" bit, please."

They walked closer into the crevice and looked at the liquid that seemed nonstop. Jr. almost touched, but Adram stopped him, shaking his head no.

"I don't think you want to touch that."

Jr. hadn't seen before, but saw that the liquid streamed down into the forrest of fat. It was grease that was turning into fat, feeding the stalks of white cholesterol.

Jr. stood up and looked into the hole. He looked down the stream and saw stumps.

"We'll get across on those. Come one."

_TLTS_

"Yo brudda is in de Nine Levels of Hell."

"But for what reason? Mother is the one that metes out all punishment for those who decide that they needn't obey the Queen."

"Yo brudda needs the experience, alone."

"Doth ye not believe that I can hold my own? Who is my true father…father?"

"I know you are demon, child! You think I don't know you can protect yaself, but can both you and yo brudda do so without wantin' to protect each other at de same time? If he has you to look out for while tryna protect himself, who ya tink gonna kill him first, de Princes of Hell or just some random demon?!"

Minnie had the decency to look contrite. Grim took pity on the lovesick girl.

"I know ye love each other very much ever since de incident, but we can't have ya both in danger. It's too much of a risk that both of ya might die for each other."

Minnie had common sense running through her mind, but that didn't stop her heart from creating tears in her eyes. She needed to keep her mate safe, needed to be able to see that he was alive and well.

"Oh, hello, little one, how are you doin' today?"

Minnie turned around to see Mimi in her light brown-skinned glory. She didn't even feel her come in behind her.

"What dost ye want?"

"Oh, Minnie now, don' be rude. She is ye mate now…hah! Ye gonna kiss 'nd make up yet? Hahahah!"

Minnie loved her adoptive father, but she detested his jokes. She could only stop him one way; the same way her mother would get him to stop.

"GRRRRR!"

"Okay, okay. *Phew* Make one joke and everyone wants ta bite me head off, humph."

Minnie walked past Mimi, but didn't get farther than a step when she felt a warm hand grab her arm.

"Thou dares to touch-!"

Lips connected with hers and she couldn't even move.

"MMMMMPH!"

"…well, it would seem me son has good taste."

Minnie's entire body was frozen, but it felt like a giant fire exploded in her face. She could even feel…tongue!

It was over in a minute, but felt like an eternity. Her body shivered once cool air hit her lips and her body felt like jelly.

Mimi looked at her coquettishly, blushing wildly with a blank face. The only thing that could help Minnie understand was the memory of her slapping her brother across his face…really hard. She was sure that she didn't think about it, but it just crossed her mind. Minnie looked at her new mate dumbfounded.

"Wha…?"

_TLTS_

"Okay, the next time we decide to do this, we're just going to fly over it all."

Jumping on the fat stumps in the cavern wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy. The slippery fat kept them from gaining full grip on the stands. It was even worse as they knew for damn sure that if they fell into the grease, they certainly would be boiled. Didn't matter if they belonged in this plane or not, pain was pain.

Jr. just kept himself afloat with his wings, watching Adram try to keep his balance. He would level him out if he even wobbled.

"Hey, Adram! I think I see a cave up ahead!"

"Alright! Just give me a-!"

SPLASH! Adram was thrown into the boiling grease from an upend underneath. Out from the stump reached several hands, decayed and rotting, lesions and boils littering the skin that might have once been able to be called that.

"What the fuck?!"

"AAUUUGGH, FUCK! JR, GET ME THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!"

Jr. started towards his Knight, but another hand, longer than the other, grabbed onto him. It pulled him down, towards the stump, allowing other hands and arms to catch him. Adram had rushed past them all, not able to make a full grab onto anything.

Jr. brandished his scythe, opened his wings, and cut himself free. He looked down and saw something that would haunt his dreams. It was a face, or what could have passed for a face if the skin hadn't been torn from the eyes and mouth, the tongue cooked and boiled over. It opened its mouth.

"Help us!"

Adram tried to keep his head above the grease. It was truly a retched thing, so much so, he wanted to vomit. Humans were boiled alive in the griddle and because of that, their skin would peel off and float down the stream, along with their own vile and the slush from the fatty walls. The heat was no problem, but he was still in rushing liquid, sending him down to a fall he knew would lead to sharp, while fatty, hardened stalks that would impale him. He didn't have to be a part of the realm to be killed in it.

"Umm, Jr.! You might want to hurry your ass up!"

Jr. broke out of his stupor and horror and began simply cutting his way through the arms and upper bodies of punished humans, pin wheeling his way through them all and leaving a blood of rain to fall onto him.. He had to hurry, Adram was getting close.

He sheathed his scythe and switched to his reflexes, leaping over the souls and focusing in on Adram instead.

Adram turned around in the oil and looked ahead. The falls loamed and he knew he would fall before Jr. made it. Nothing to grab on, too soaked to get his flames running.

"So this is it huh, falling to my death in a faux fryer and onto sharp fat deposits that were most likely made from the world's fattiest man, what a way to go."

Adram fell over, just as Jr. made it to the edge and leaped to him, hands just managing to catch him.

"Gotcha!"

Just as he caught him, a thundering came from behind and the flow of grease dwindled. Jr. flapped his wings and turned around, just in time for him to see what he could say was the largest worm, ever, hanging from within the crevice.

"Wha…?" Jr. gaped. He stared at the thing for a long time, before its great maw opened and instead of a mouth, he was staring at an eyeball.

It didn't stay for long and began to slither backwards, away from the edge, back into a large cave.

"You do know we're going to have to go into that right?" Adram said from underneath. Junior let out a long sigh. He couldn't wait for this to end.

_TLTS_

"They're just entering *breathe* the cave. They'll be close to the mound soon *groan*."

The Princes of Hell all stood on a platform, just above the entrance into the City of Dis. Beezlebub stood with an eye closed before opening it and turning to the rest of them. Lucifer drummed his fingers along the sheathed of his sword.

"Hmm, should you be getting ready?"

Beezlebub nodded. He was tall and thin, his fingers long and spindly. He was sickly looking, almost to the point of anorexia. His face was gaunt, his stomach empty and looked as though he had no organs, and he looked as though a strong wind would have to ability to knock him over. It belied his nature, but made sense; the ravenous of all eaters needed a lot of space to put his food somewhere.

"I'll be going *wheeze* now."

Instead of really leaving, his entire being was sucked into his abdomen, right where his stomach would be. His entire being was crushed inward before he just simply disappeared.

"I hate it when he does that." Satan balked. He stood from where he was leaning and marched over to Lucifer.

"So, when he gets his ass handed to him, can I get his energy this time? You took Asmodeus' and I feel that I should have the next."

"So little faith in your brother?" Lucifer questioned.

Satan didn't respond, his face scrunched in hardened indifference. Lucifer shrugged.

"Don't worry, I don't think he'll make it either. And no, I will take his soul when he dies."

Satan huffed, but didn't say another word. It was Leviathan who spoke up.

"Why isss it you who getssss hissss sssoul?"

"Because I am the one who dispersed your powers, I am the most powerful one here, after all," Lucifer said, haughtiness abound, "And besides, who is it that holds the Blade of Apocalypse, little brother?"

Leviathan hissed, but back off when he saw his brother push on the hilt of the blade. Satan barked out a laugh, his giant chest booming the sound. Belphegor looked disinterested, but managed a smile, as did Mammon. Satan pushed Leviathan out of the way, standing in front of Lucifer.

"Doesn't matter, once he gets to my level *Leviathan hissed* if he gets to my level, he won't make it past anyway. His little friend won't be helping him then. And besides, I have a backup plan."

"Not enough faith in yourself, either Satan?"

"Nah, just a project I've been working on. Trust me, I've got it all figured out."

With that, Satan leaped down off the platform.

Lucifer stared at the scythe in his hand. He couldn't wait for his plan to come to fruition, couldn't even wait to see Michael again.

_TLTS_

Jr. and Adram took a breather whilst inside the cave. Jr. looked up to hi Knight.

"What the fuck was that?!" screamed the Prince.

"Beelzebub was watching us."

"From a worm?!"

"If you hadn't noticed, there was an eye in the middle."

"That doesn't change the factor that was the biggest worm I've ever seen."

Adram nodded, but didn't respond. He looked farther into the cave and breathed shallowly. The smell wasn't pleasant, but he could manage. He could see the "museum" as the fat light up at certain spots.

"What is this place?"

He looked down to Jr.

"Here lies the worst of the gluttons, the fattest of the fat, the worst eaters of the world, and the most disgusting about their habits."

"Is that a fish?"

Jr. motioned to a particular figure. Adram stepped up beside and shook his head.

"Yeah, his name was Bubblebass. He was more of a cheat than a glutton, but Lucifer hadn't really cared and he stunk more than he lied, so he wanted him as far away as possible." Adram explained with a shake of his head.

"Where did he come from?"

"Trust me, don't ask. As supernatural as we are, that place just doesn't make sense."

As they continued, more oddities showed up. Jr even had to stop at a strange looking animal.

"Adram, what's a cat-bear-rabbit?"

"...what?"

"Nevermind."

As they walked, Jr. stared at the back of his Knight. He knew so little about the man who was to be protecting him and it seemed every time he asked, the more and more Adram seemed to retreat and not share.

_"What could he be hiding?"_

_TLTS_

Minnie was dumbfounded.

They newly-mated ladies sat in her room, drinking tea, but the bitter taste was far from Minnie's mind at the moment.

"So, it is to be believed that thy intentions were far from my brother and more for mine."

Mimi seemed a little embarrassed, but at the same time, trying to understand it herself.

_"I…want…for…you"_

Minnie had also realized sometime into the conversation Mimi could speak, but only with her mind. She was traumatized and her body pushed to the limits of which the human side of her- rather, the more mortal side of her had been completely robbed of her speech. However, her mind was very powerful and she could project her thoughts into others, even if only slowly. Minnie had yet to see anything else.

"Why me? I had trowed that thy attachment was to mine brother, so then why hast thou now come to me for romance?"

_"Your…inner…darkness…mother…"_

Minnie blinked in confusion, but thought for a minute. Her mother was hateful and very cruel when she wanted to be so, she guessed the darkness Mimi felt was her mother. Still, she never really showed it, or liked to at least. She hummed in agreement.

"So, canst thou answer as to how thine predicament came to be? Mihnos seems more the…torturous type, not very fatherly."

Mimi narrowed her eyes at Minnie and the blonde felt threatened, as well as scrutinized.

_"Not…stupid…no…trust…"_

Minnie felt guilty. She HAD ranted and raved about how she didn't want the demonic child here in the castle. She was nodding in the rafters when her mother told her to put a collar on her, if just so she could throw her into the doghouse with Cerberus. She deserved the distrust.

"…My apologies. I…my intentions were nefarious at best and I understand your skepticism. Nergalian mating, as beautiful as I love to see it…it's very dangerous and territorial, but with my brother, it was even more so."

She was looking down; she didn't see Mimi's eyes soften a little.

"I wish you could see how much I craved this, his love and desires, all to be mine even when they weren't and he'd…he'd…_hated me_!"

_"But…you…open…memories…I…will…"_

"What do you mean?" Minnie asked, rubbing her tears away.

Mimi said nothing, just closed her eyes. At once, Minnie could feel something, almost close to what she could feel in her mating call, pushing against her mind.

_"Open…please!"_

Minnie heard her mate's call and let it go, her memories of her time as a child, with her mother, both her father's, her lessons with her caretaker, Helga…and her brother. All the times, good and bad, but both cherished.

She saw them run past, before the pushing stopped and she could focus in on the world again. Her first sight was her mate's shivering form and her face. While it was not fully emotional, she had a tear running down. Minnie, hesitantly, reached across and wiped her finger up the line. Mimi, didn't even seem to notice.

_"Sorry…being…here…"_

"…It's okay. It would seem that thou art here to stay…I've always wanted a sister."

Soon, they were grinning at each other, faster friends than anything. It would come to past as Mimi's first smile in some years of her underworld life.

_"Maybe, she'll even be an even better mate."_

_TLTS_

Now, Jr. wasn't the smartest tool in the box, but would like to say he was still clever. Even so, it took him some time to process that the image of both his mates smiling at each other wasn't just a dream he wished for. It had happened, was happening, and he more than ever wished he was there with them to see this breakthrough.

_"Fucking demons."_

_**"Hey!"**_

_"Sorry, not anything personnel, you just so happen to be part of said category."_

Jr. and Adram had finally made it out of the cave and stared upon a large mound.

Of human corpses.

"Fuck my life." Jr. said distastefully.

Adram chuckled, but grew serious as they approached the mound, getting closer to the horrid stench that just seemed to permeate the entire level of this particular Hell. As they got closer, it began to rain down on them hard, so icy and prickling. Slush began to form around them and it seemed like the cold was a person, hanging onto them both.

"I can already see how bad this is gonna get." Jr. whispered to Adram.

"Not really.*Wheeeze* It could always get worse." came a voice from the giant mound that seemed to grow large by the second.

Out stepped a man who looked as though his very life depended on his next meal. Hell, his skin looked like it could use some sun too, not like he'd get it in here. His most astounding part, however, was his height. He could easily hang over any basketball player, bar none, and actually had to bend forward to see them both.

"I was wondering *wheeze* when you would get here."

"Are you the Prince of Gluttons?" inquired Jr.

"I should like *breathe* to say so."

"Where is my father's scythe?"

"With my brother, but you'll *cough* never see it."

"Wanna bet? Your bastard brother was the first to go, and if I have to tear this entire sin-filled place to pieces, I will do so and make sure I leave every single of your corpses on the trees for anyone else who dares to try this shit again. I am the Prince of the Underworld, try not to forget that."

If this was to signal the Glutton Lord to start fighting, it was lost on him.

"Such *groan* confidence...arrogance. I will deliver your head to my brother as a birthday present."

The moment Jr. rushed forward, the Prince dropped back and seemed to be swallowed into the mound of dead souls.

"What the fuck? Where'd he go?"

The growling came low, but bit by bit, the mound that looked as though it could rival any mountain seemed to shrinked and suck inward. Bodies were beginning to get lost in what seemed like a black hole.

It rumbled and quaked, the mound and in his realization that this may be more difficult than the last Prince, Jr. slowly walked backwards, his hands clenching his scythe with apprehension.

"No offense Jr., but I don't think pissing him off was a good idea."

Just as suddenly, a large earthquake rumbled under their feet and threw them to the ground. Out of the mound began to rise three large pyramidal heads, serrated teeth facing each other on the inside of the triangular placement. As it raised itself up more, holes large enough to swallow a house entirely emerged in the middle. It was a monster of a good hundred feet, as it climbed out of the mound with clawed hands and long arms, standing to feet of eight legs with pincers at the end, reminiscent of a spider. Its thorax was plated and shining, thrust outward, as was the other plates that covered the arms, legs, and head even. The colors of orange, various for each part, gleamed in the fires of Hell. To top it all off, wings, as long as a jets unfolded from the back a beat a large gust that had them both clutching the ground.

Jr., at this point, was very uncertain.

_**"Fuck uncertain! This shit is going to eat us alive!"**_

The large holes on the heads pushed outward and became wormlike. Eyes that weren't there before slid into place, just behind the sharp openings of the worm mouth. A voice came from the large beast.

"Behold, my true form! I am Beelzebub, Prince of all gluttons, ruler of the slaves to hunger, lord of flies!"

"Yep, we're fucked."

* * *

They both dodged as an arm crushed the ground underneath them. Jr. moved swiftly, avoiding the oncoming pincers of the eight legs that could very well impale a house.

He leaped over the hand that swiped at him, only for the large worm-eye to bat him into the ground. He struggled in getting up, his entire body encased in muck and rock.

_"Yep, running doesn't work."_

_**"What gave it away, the castle sized monster, or the smash that made a Jr. sized crater?"**_

* * *

Adram jetted across the plain, using his fire to speed past the voracious assault. He sent useless fireballs that simply extinguished once they made contact with the plated armor. He growled in anger and plummeted to a leg, clasping onto the back and punching with all his might.

It actually paid off as the defense couldn't take both the supernatural strength and the heat, cracking off and giving way to soggy and riddled flesh.

"Who wants a slice?!"

He made a dagger in his palm and seared his way through the ligament, cutting off the leg and setting about an earthquake on the battlefield.

ROOOOOOAR! The sound was earth shattering as Beelzebub lamented the loss of a leg before fully turning his attention to the fiery redhead, having trashed Jr. into the ground.

"You're not mad, are you?!"

Had he known what would come next, he would have been moving away faster instead of taunting. Large shark teeth emerged from the dismembered leg, creating a mouth on the wound and effectively trapping Adram in teeth.

"Crap."

The leg extended outward and began to bash Adram into the ground.

* * *

Jr. pulled himself out from his hole and looked up to see his guardian getting smashed repeatedly into the ground. He realized he was completely ignored and knew if he didn't get there in time, Adram would be just a bloody mess.

He let his Nergal form overtake his arms and legs and winded his way over to the pummeling.

Just as Adram was coming down into the ground, for what could have been for the last time, Jr. spun straight threw the stump, freeing Adram.

They fell to the ground, Jr. looking up at the giant bug as Adram recovered, enflaming himself with his heat.

"There has to be an easier way to doing this."

Adram looked at the tank of a beetle, and thought to himself, finally getting the very unwanted idea of how to beat the impenetrable fortress.

"I hate this."

Jr. watched as Adram stood.

"Keep him distracted for a bit. I'm about to pull a you."

"...wait, what?"

Adram simply jetted into the air, dodging as Beelzebub tried to swat at him. Once he got to a height above the monster, he turned off his flames and fell, aiming himself until he finally got his mark. Jr. watched as Adram got himself ate.

"What. THE. HELL?!"

* * *

Adram slipped and slide himself until he reached light, being thrusted out the cavernous hole like a water slide. He sprouted flames under his feet, keeping himself afloat as he looked into his surroundings.

Human souls were all over the place, melted nearly down to their bones, some flesh still hanging off here and there, stuck the walls of Beelzebub's stomach, and at the apex of the ceiling hung three cords of flesh, each extending into a hole.

"Well, there's his eyes.

The lake of stomach acid actually smelled a lot like...

"Grease?"

Adram could just see the light bulb on top of his head.

"Buddy, let me introduce you to indigestion."

* * *

Jr. had quickly jumped up, aiming for the same mouth that Adram disappeared in, running up the eye-worms that tried to block his path.

He leaped up, just below it and cut an arc with his scythe, making a platform for himself. It didn't last long as said platform began to form more teeth. Jr. balanced himself as the mouth opened and closed in hopes of catching him the way it did Adram.

"Damn it, Adram, that didn't mean that you should get yourself eaten!"

He knew yelling was futile, it'd be impossible for Adram to even hear him. Besides, he had more problems to deal with. The eye-worms had come back and were more worm than eye as actual mouths tried to close in on him. He cut and blocked each advanced, but knew he could only keep this up for so long. Worse yet, each cut he made created more openings for teeth.

_"Damnit, I'm going out like this?! Getting ate by a giant insect!"_

_**"Yeah, I figured it'd be from taking a stab for mistress. Who would have been pregnant at the time. Or maybe being crushed by a giant truck of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Cinnamon."**_

_"Minnie...I'm sorry."_

He let his scythe nearly slide from his fingers and closed his eyes as all three worms wrapped around to engulf him.

Then everything stopped.

"What?! What are you doing?!"

Jr. opened his eyes as he saw the worms wriggling and screeching as the hands scratched at the plated thorax, as if it were suffocating.

Jr. felt a heat from underneath and saw a fire emerging from the depths of the mouth he stood on. It was coming fast.

He rocketed into the sky, wings batting fast as they could to get away from what he sure was to be-

BOOOM! A giant explosion rocked the entire mound, the shockwave slamming Jr. away. Flames coated the black sky and chunks of orange insect flesh splattered the souls of the mound.

Jr. righted himself in the air and looked down to see Adram in the middle, flat on his back.

He flew quickly to him and as he got closer, he also caught a glimpse of Beelzebub in the form he had on before he grew into a monster.

He landed next to Adram and grinned at him when he opened his eyes, his shirt having been completely fired off and his hair ablaze with both natural and grease fire. he extended his hand and pulled his friend up.

"You could have told me what you were going to do."

"I didn't think you would have let me go."

"Eh, maybe. Then again, it was a giant bug. I think I would have gone for anythgin that could have helped us. Oh yeah, and why didn't you tell you could fly in the first place?! I wouldn't have had to carry you when we first entered stank land."

"...yeah, that was kind of a dick move. I just wanted to be carry."

"...asshole."

*Cough*

Both heads shot to where Beelzebub laid. They limped over, their bodies worn and worked from their battles.

"Hehe, *wheeze* don't think this doesn't mean your downfall. *Cough* You will die Jr., and I wish I could be there when to see your face as your Knight betrays you."

"What?"

"Shut your fucking mouth." Adram said with a voice so cold, he could have well been the demon of ice.

"Don't you know? *Breathe* You're standing next to the very thing that keeps the Phlgethon River aflame. He's the King of Fire, The Son of the Whore of Babylon...and my brother, Satan."

"DAMNIT!"

Beelzebub's head was sprayed across the ground as Adram sent a fireball the size of a bowling ball to him, killing him and silencing him, but indeed damage had already been done. Jr. looked at him, emotions running through his mind, but his most prominent was disbelief and betrayal.

* * *

**Alright, so the main reason you guys haven't had a good chapter in like a good year was because I was in school. College beats my ass back and forth so I was really trying to get all my work done. Which consisted of a lot of essays, so once I got done with those, I really didn't have the energy to write. Afterwards, once summer started, it just took me some time to fully get this chapter the way I wanted. I won't make promises, but I'll try to get in another chapter before the end of this month.**

**Author: Doragoon/Animaster**

**Beta: Blood Brandy**


	31. Unrelenting Greed

Prompt: Unrelenting Greed

* * *

Jr. burst through the portal of Hell with enraged strides. If this were more calm circumstances, he would have traversed the castle in search of his sister-mate and new mate for their somewhat nervous, but rather perky auras. However, his return was far from placid.

"GUARDS!"

Adram came out of the portal behind him, head hung. His wrists were encased in Nergalian chains, cutting into his flesh and growling at him like an angry Doberman. He looked up in expectancy when twelve Grim Guards, accompanying Pain marched into the room.

"Yes, young Master?"

"Chain the prisoner and ake him to the dungeon."

"Ser Adram? Sire, I don't-

"He is no longer my Knight, just a traitor."

Charles immediate demeanor changed and the guards aimed their spears. The cuffs on his wrists tightened once more, drawing blood before slithering off, disappearing into Jr's sweats. He still stood with his back to the Flame King.

"Jr., please-

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it."

Jr. walked off. Not once did he look in Adram's direction.

_TLTS_

"Did you know?"

"Whatcha mean?"

"Adram, did you know he was Satan's spawn?"

*Sigh*"Yes, I did. How'dja find out?"

"ARGH! Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't important. Adram was harmless to ya, he would'na hurt cha."

"Oh really?"

Jr. looked at his father critically. The gurads were finally chiseling him off the front stairs and he was halfway out,but it was still taking some time.

There was a fire in Jr's eyes and Grim was almost proud of it, had it not been in more serious circumstances.

"Then why was it he didn't tell me until Beelzebub decided it was worth his time, right before he died."

"He was fraid you'd act dis way, suspicious of him n all."

"That's bs dad, and you know it. Of course, I would have been suspicious, but at least it would have been from him and not from some demon twig."

"What's going on here?"

Both skulled faces turned to the Bitch Queen of the Underworld. Mandy walked up to the marble incasing her husband with a blank face. Jr. crossed his arms.

"Dad didn't tell me that Adram was Satan's son. Did you know about this too?"

Mandy's brows furrowed into a harder glare, but Jr. didn't flinch. His Nergal would preserve him should he get into a confrontation with his mother.

"Grim, exactly why do I have that dirt's seed following my son?"

"Hehe, it's not like he was a threat," Grim bashfully said, "I figured he'd tell Junya when he was ready. 'parently he didn't do it fast enough."

"That's his problem now."

"Junya, he wasn't gonna harm ya."

"He should have said something when he had the chance. Maybe then, he wouldn't be in this predicament," Mandy cutting in, "I have no tolerance for veiled appearances. Maybe he'll think about that as he rots."

Mandy turned sharply, walking away, her robe swishing in Jr's face. Said boy shook his head at the annoying fluff. He turned back to his father.

"Until I know I can actually trust him, he's gonna stay there."

Grim sighed as Jr. walked away without awaiting his response.

"Dat boy."

_TLTS_

Minnie's head shot up. The surge of energy in the castle, the scent in the air; she knew exactly who had walked through. Her mate had come home.

_TLTS_

Jr. stopped at Minnie's door. He could feel both of his mates behind the white and light pink painted wood. The feeling from earlier was still there, but the largest thing he could feel now was an outburst of affection while the other held apprehension.

He breathed.

"_**She ain't got all day, man."**_

"_Shut up. You aren't helping."_

Jr. reached for the door, but was all too slow as the door was ripped out of reach and instead, replaced with his sister-mate.

"Brother mine!"

She glomped him, kissing his fleshless face before pressing a wishing-to-be passionate kiss to his teeth. For the only time in her life, Minnie wished that her brother could be alive or at least have skin of some kind without the need of Nergal powers. He had to focus to keep that skin on.

"How I have miss the presence of mine mate."

"Me too."

He sat up, Minnie in his lap before he looked over her shoulder and caught sight of a calm faced Mimi. He could still feel the apprehension from her, even if she was hiding it.

He stood, pulling Minnie with him, and made his way over to the table.

"Um, so…how has it been? Are you getting comfortable?"

Mimi turned from him, finding something interesting in her lap. Minnie looked at her in curiosity and uncertainty.

"_Mate of ours, doth thou find some worry in mine brother's beseeching?"_

"…_uncertain…"_

Minnie blinked. She looked to Jr. to see if he had anything to say to that, but he just looked at her. Didn't he hear her?

"_Don't…tell…keep…reading…secret."_

"_Thou wish not to speak of thy telepathy?"_

Mimi looked at her, her eyes flickering to her and back into her lap. Her facial expression hadn't changed and her eyes hadn't soften or harden since Jr. got here.

"_Why doth thou not wish to speak to our mate?"_

"_Haven't…known…kindness…anger…pain…hate…only."_

Minnie felt her heart clench, sending a message to everyone in the room.

"Minnie, what's wrong?"

Jr. looked at his sister in concern.

"Naught, brother mine. Her silence is saddening, her past being torturous. Prithee, canst thou find a comely activity for her to feel less tense?"

"Hmm, I think I can find something for us to do."

_TLTS_

Adram sat in his cell, the only fire in the dungeon being his hair.

"This is what happens when you give a twelve year-old boy the power to command his own army."

What made it worse was that Jr. didn't even listen him. The moment recognition of his parentage came to light, his hands were cuffed in teethed Nergal flesh, the pain as excruciating as kinves going through his wrists and out the other side.

He could have escaped, but then what. Lilith was here and she was waiting for him.

God, what idiot was scared of a twelve year-old boy? Oh yeah, the one who's seen his demon come out to and literally decapitate a general.

He wished it could have been different. Maybe he should have told Jr. what he was, who was his sire. At least maybe he wouldn't have been in this situation.

"Adram!"

His shot up and he looked at the platinum-haired demon he shared his bed with. She was accompanied by four guards; no doubt to keep her from getting any ideas about his escape.

"Lilith, why are you here?"

"I couldn't just leave you!" She said indignantly, as if his question offended her.

"Why did you come see me? Just being here makes you suspect."

"Let that little prick throw me in here, I don't care. Damnit, why didn't you tell him?"

Adram looked to the guards when she called Jr. out on his actions, nervous they would react, but they stayed still. He sighed at her askance.

"I don't know, I wasn't thinking. It doesn't matter now, all I can do is wait and hope for the best, ya know."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Just keep out of sight. Stay in our room; only go for things to eat. And whatever you do, don't say no to Mandy."

"Why?"

"Did you forget why she's called the Bitch Queen?"

Lilith sombered, knowing he was right. What could she do? Break him out? Yeah and run right into Mandeline.

"Okay, but…hurry up. Make up a plan. You have to get out of here." She made to leave.

"Don't worry. What can happen to me in here?"

They both knew the answer to that. Anything was possible in the supernatural and he was a valuable commodity for anyone to have. If bounty hunters or rogue demons didn't come after him…his father would.

_TLTS_

"Don't move there! That hurts."

"Stay thine body, mate."

"…"

"OOH…sorry, that felt good."

"…"

"A little more, yeah a little higher."

"Brother mine, this is highly inappropriate."

"But it feels reeeeally good."

"…"

"Wait, don't move. I'll fall."

"Mate, please wilt thou stop?"

"…Crap, I'm stuck. Can anyone move?"

"I do believe that is the end of the game."

All three bodies hit the mat; sweat pouring over them from the close contact. Mimi was the first to make it out the ball of tweens.

"That was the most invigorating game of Twister we have ever played, yes brother?"

He smiled at her and pulled her up to him. He looked at Mimi, who was staring at the box, head tilted curiously. Both siblings could only think of one word.

"_Cute"_

Mimi's head nearly shot off her neck with how fast she turned to them. Jr. raised a brow, but Minnie stared at her feet interest, red beginning to coat her face.

"Okay? So what next?"

"Children."

Lord Pain appeared from within the main hall, marching with purpose.

"Hey Charles. Wassup?"

"Mistress would like for your lessons to begin soon. If you would please follow me outside."

The group shrugged, but followed Pain to the stone balcony of Castle Grimskull. As they proceeded outside, they began to take notice of various training equipment such as wooden dummies, targets, training mats, and training bags, as well as weapons and ammunition. Mimi especially began eyeing the whip.

They stopped just before an aiming Mandy. She was, of course, in her pink nightie and lingerie.

Jr. actually stopped and thought about this particular habit his mother had. She really didn't care what she wore, did she? He was in no way attracted to his mother, but he did have to admit she was rather…hot, if he were to put it bluntly. She had long legs, cream colored skin that he thanked God that Minnie inherited, nice muscle structure. She looked like a swimsuit model or, with her desired clothing, a playboy bunny. He just wasn't stupid enough to tell her that.

Minnie…If he was attracted to his sister, shouldn't there be some kind of draw to his mother? Even with the original Nergal powers that she had given him in a nother life that didn't even exist anymore or even the Soul Entwining, there had to be more to it.

"_**Doubts bout something, kiddo?"**_

"_I…"_

"Jr.!"

He stood straight up under the command of his mother's voice. He focused on her and realized he'd been having these thoughts for a while and everyone was staring at him.

"Sorry, I spaced."

"…you'll go first then."

He gulped and lamented his luck.

_TLTS_

Jr. stood at the edge of the castle wall structure. He wasn't afraid, but the scene below was making him get vertigo.

"_**So kid. Ready for some actual Nergal training?"**_

"_What are you talking about? Uncle NJ taught me that I should trust my instincts and that's what I've been doing."_

"_**Not essentially. You've been in control the entire time, even when you allow me to overtake your body. I am your instinct, so you haven't been letting me in full control."**_

"_The last time you took control, you nearly set my Uncle's entire town on fire."_

"_**That's all in the past, come on, let it go man! We are here and we're a team. Trust in me."**_

Jr. seemed to find some fault with this. How could he trust the one thing that most certainly could overtake his entire mind if it really wanted to? What was he supposed to do, trust the demonic forces that held a home in his body?

"_**How about 70% control?"**_

Jr. looked down again. He supposed to dive into the air and dodge oncoming arrows from the guards at the ground. Some would be flaming, others poisoned, some even dipped in holy water and since he was harboring a demon within his body, getting hit by those would and could be fatal.

"45."

"_**60?"**_

"55."

"_**Kid, you really drive a hard bargain. Alright."**_

Jr. leaned over the edge and let himself be pulled down by gravity. If he were really thinking about it, the Underworld wasn't a part of earth, so how did it have gravity? Still, he had no time to think about such things as his mother gave the signal for the guards to fire at him.

"_**You see, when you let me overtake your body, you only let the flesh cover. You never fully allow for me to take control.**_

_**By allowing me, your Nergalian instincts influence you, you become more dangerous and unpredictable for the enemy."**_

"_It also allows for you to have a stronger hold over my powers."_

"_**But we're a team. Wouldn't you rather have someone at your back who knows what to do, rather than trying to figure it out all on your own?"**_

Jr. didn't have time to reply. The arrows were starting to get closer to him and he could fel the presence in his body begin to wrap itself onto his bones, into his sweats and shoes. There was also the familiar presence of it knocking on his mind, asking to be let it. He never let it get anywhere near inside. Now he willingly agreed for it to have just more than half of the space.

"_**Unlock the door, kid."**_

Jr. let his control slip, allowed for the presence to tangle itself in his mental self. He could feel the control of his body begin to slip, but just as the fear began to overcome him, it stopped.

"_**55%, right?"**_

He had to smile.

"_**Now, think about flying. Before, you would imagine wings, you got wings, claws for claws, and your tail. But in reality, you only would have to think about the action, and I will immediately summon the best option to turn into. Just think being in the air, moving swiftly, being faster than anything else."**_

Jr. thought about moving through the air at dynamic speed, all the while the arrows were mere breadths away. He didn't have the thought for long, as the skin formed over him quick and he was given slight wings, whipping into the air and beating over a hundred times per second. The wings moved him, dipping, pushing the air, rolling through various barrages of dangerous projectiles.

"_**Hummingbird! Huh, huh?"**_

"_Alright, sure, that was a good one, but Mom isn't done yet."_

Mandy snapped her fingers and the guards wheeled out cannons. Jr. breathed heavily, sagging his shoulders at his own mother's disregard of his safety. Still, he couldn't call times. There were no safety words in training.

"_**Okay, big guns. Don't get cocky, bitch! I got something for that?"**_

"_Dude, that's my mom."_

"_**Doesn't change anything; that's a bitch move. Ready?"**_

Jr. nodded instead of replying. He could once again feel the the skin shift around him and he grew arms that hung on him, clanking as if they were made of metal. It severely crippled his speed and the hummingbird wings just weren't doing it. Another shift, and he had wings doubled his size, bellowing against the air.

The first shots fired into the air and he merely had to spin around them. A couple more and he got skimmed, pulling some feathers off him. He knew what his mother wanted though.

An iron ball headed straight for him and he reared back before knocking his fist forward to literally shatter the shot that was possibly the size of his head into rubble. Every one of them that made it close to him, ended in the same fate, raining pieces and dust onto the assailants. Once it stopped, he banged his knuckles together, making a resounding *CLANG*.

Mandy, if she were any other type of mother, would have smiled in pride. However, this was Mrs. Black and everyone knew not to expect everything. She would teach her son that.

"Minnie. Bring your pet."

Minnie and Mimi walked out to greet her mother, but were immediately surrounded by guards with crossbows.

"Mother?"

"Let's see exactly how good your brother is."

Minnie could feel the confusion and anger Mimi had, but she knew exactly what her mother was doing. She could very well defend both her and her mate. Still, she made a point to take Mimi's hand into hers so she could feel a familiar presence.

Mandy looked up to her son. Jr. was stock-still and shocked.

"You better hurry down here, boy! You may just lose a mate! Five!"

"_**What the fuck?! Pineapples, you crazy fuck!"**_

She wouldn't, would she?

"Four!"

She would! He dove down quick, but knew this giant wingspan wouldn't be enough. He was still a considerable amount away from the ground, even with all the practice.

"_**This is bullshit! Kid, hurry up, think!"**_

He thought about moving fast, moving quicker and the skin shifted, removing his arms and instead, jets grew out of the back of his legs and forearms. Green fire spurted from underneath.

"Three!"

Damnit! Why couldn't his mom be normal? Why did everything have to be life or death.

"Two!"

It came down to the wire and Jr. could feel the presence in his mind push. It didn't matter to him, however. His entire focus was on his mates, on keeping them safe. He forced the jets to go faster. Oddly enough, he was getting tired now; physically tired.

Ever since the Nergal, he'd never been physically tired.

"ONE! FIRE!"

The guards let loose and Jr. screamed.

It was cut off as the entirety of his being was covered in black flesh. He dropped like a stone and it was split second for anyone to really get an understanding of what happened.

A large cage surrounded the girls with hole at the top, effectively cutting of any arrows that would have made it. Where the cage connected to the ground, tentacles with hooks squirmed out and grabbed every guard that had been in the vicinity of Minnie and Mimi and tore at them, tearing ligaments from each other and some even being broken straight through the bone. One even managed to make a grab for Mandy, trying to get at her, only to get stepped on through a steel heel.

Atop the cage sat the form of Nergal Grim Jr., his full body a living skin, overtaking his clothes. His legs and left arm connected to the cage underneath. He looked up, straight into Mandy's eyes, and screeched with feline eyes. Mandy didn't even bat an eye.

Once the guards that were close enough were taken out, Nergal Grim Jr. released his form, falling just before his mates, only for them to come to the realization that he still hadn't come back from it all. His entire body still moved around him, slithering.

"Why won't you let go?"

"_**You lost too much energy! I let go and you will faint, dude."**_

He breathed hard. His beast covered him near full, only his face on the right, with Minnie's eye, was uncovered by Nergal skin.

"Brother mine!"

"**I'm sorry, Mistress. He isn't fully ready yet."**

Minnie's eyes hardened.

"**Let my brother go."**

"**He needs to rest."**

She did not like conversing with his demon. Talking to this entity she did her best to keep under control, which had taken her and her father years to perfect. It made it odder because she could feel her demon and it had the exact aura as this one. This loop in time was disturbing.

"Brother mine, we must venture to your room. You must gain control again, move your body."

Jr. moaned and struggled. It felt like moving a stack of lead. His body did little to cooperate.

He felt the hand of his mate on his back and only then did he feel that he could get himself up into his window of the castle. He stood shakily.

"F-fly."

Just saying the word made him dry heave. However, his body still did what he wanted and soon, he grabbed both by the waist and they were in the air, away from the now destroyed courtyard, the mangled bones of rearranging guards, the critical eyes of his mother.

"We aren't done, boy!" she yelled to his retreating body watching him fly towards his room. Why couldn't he just have a break for the day? "Once you've tended to them, you will come back out, do you understand me?"

_TLTS_

Jr. walked behind his mother, just against her shadow. He had left a worried Minnie and stone-faced Mimi to their own devices. Her mother wanted Minnie to teach Mimi acrobatics; there would be a test of that as well.

"_**Yeah, cuz you know, she'll be all for whatever your mother throws at her after that little debacle."**_

"_Shut up. I don't need that on my mind right now."_

"_**She just tried to kill your mates! What else do should you be thinking right now?!"**_

Jr. didn't know what to think. His mother was not so carelss of his and Minnie's safety. Usually, she let them make their own mistakes before actually tending to their wounds, all the while insulting their intelligence as the undead nurse gave them salves to put on any hurt bodies.

It's not like he was alive. How deader can a person get from skeleton? Minnie, well, she was half demon and could heal herself pretty good.

But Mimi…

What made his mother think she could do that to someone who she had ever even met before? He needed Mimi to trust him and now, he can't even look her in the eye.

"Mom, what-

"I do what I must to prepare you. Don't question my methods." She looked back at him critically, her second sight immediately picking up on his thoughts. He shook his head, the blood in his bones coming to a broil. He shouted, "That's not good enough!"

They stopped as his yell echoed throughout the hallway. The guards did not stop. That would have been stupid on their part; they knew their queen would immediately melt them under her stare, crumbling under her might just from a simple look. If anything, they sped up, trying to quickly escape ground zero.

"What did you just say?"

"I want her to trust me and you go and do something like that?! Are you crazy?!"

"If you want to gain her trust, that's your own prerogative. As far as I'm concerned, she is a means to an end. I will use her as I see fit so long as she stays here."

Jr. growled loudly and clutched his head, pacing right and left. "Couldn't you have just told her, warned her that she might be fucking target practice?"

"Maybe you didn't hear me," She leaned in close, her glare impenetrable, "I will use her as I see fit. Whether you agree with it is not my concern."

Jr. was astounded. This woman was a mom? What made her-what did she-does she not-

"I can't give a damn why you need her; she's my mate. What gives you the right?!"

Her hand was steely when it arced across her body. His body flew to the wall, but didn't crumple, claws and fangs at the ready. She looked at him and turned, once again walking down the hall. She didn't get far before she stopped.

"Do you think that Lucifer will care that she's your mate? He won't think twice."

She continued on, leaving Jr. angry, but thinking. Could he protect his mate…his mates from the Hellish Prince?

_TLTS_

He stood beside his mother, trying not to tremble at the steel maw of the gauntlet. Spikes and spears gleamed in the supernatural clouds, traps opened wide and snapped shut at the mere touch of a hair, flashy flames that wee anything, but tame rose into the air, and he had to reconsider back talking his mother.

Even if he couldn't see it, her smirk was in her voice.

"Have fun."

_TLTS_

Jr. made it back to his room, the fringes of his hair toasted and flaky. Every now and then, he'd puff out a breath of smoke.

Sitting on his bed, he shook his head.

Why did they have him go out and fight these demons? Why did her have to recover his father's stolen scythe? Why couldn't he keep his big fucking mouth shut?

"Brother mine?"

He snapped to attention. Had she been knocking?

"Sorry for the intrusion, I was just hoping to see if you would like some tea?"

"Uh, sure, come on in."

Minnie walked in, having opened the door with her tail, and closed it with a kick of her foot. He cocked his head.

"Where's Mimi?"

"Mother wanted her specifically."

Jr. groaned, moving to get to his feet. Minnie set the tea down and looked as he tried to get up.

"Brother?"

"I have to stop her before she does something she'll regret."

"Mother regrets nary a thing in her mind."

"Then I have to stop her before she does something I'll regret."

He groaned, but made it to his feet. His sister had other ideas, kicking a chair under him.

"You will do no such thing. I have prepared tea and you will partake."

Jr. sighed. Maybe he can get there in time to see Mimi's head roll onto the floor.

Minnie poured the tea, her mind busying itself with getting it ready. Her tail, however, seemed to have a mind of its own, caressing Jr's head and making him lose whatever train of thought he figured he could keep.

She sat down in his lap and brought their tea with them. He grabbed his and they clicked together before sipping. This was rather intimate.

Minnie wriggled a little, trying to get more comfortable and he tried to keep from sighing, the stirrings of heat in his stomach making it hard to concentrate on his tea.

She giggled and smiled at him coyly. And that was the problem; he couldn't reciprocate.

"I heard dad tell you what I was doing." He spoke to her softly. She continued to drink her tea, not really responding. That didn't stop her from feeling confused and apprehensive. He knew why. He was her mate, she should know for a fact that he was safe. She couldn't do that when his actual form wasn't even in the same universe.

He understood that, hell; he'd be on the same line, wondering why she was even needed. If Jr. was anything, he tried not to be a hypocrite.

"Mins, I know that I should have told you what was happening."

She still kept quiet, the only sounds from her was her shifting against him and sipping from her tea.

"I didn't want you to worry."

Sip. Swallow. Inhale. Exhale.

"It's dangerous, damnit, I don't want you getting involved! I want you safe from all of this."

Minnie set her tea down, but Jr. wasn't really paying to much attention at this moment.

"I should have asked you about Mimi, I know! It's like ever since we got home, things just don't go back to normal. We can't enjoy this because of our family and its power!

I don't know what I'm even doing. Am I a good mate? Do I give you everything you want? All I can think about is what has happened, my actual past that differs from your own, and what we got coming next. Nothing is easy anymore."

Minnie had since then turned around. His breath caught when he saw her eyes. There was a tenderness he saw when he was younger, when she thought he wasn't looking at her. It happened multiple times out of his life, but this was the more recent one.

She leaned in and kissed him. He inhaled deeply, the scent of his sister-mate invading his being. Her body melded against him and wrung his arms against her.

They were young, just entering another stage in their life, and he was already certain what role she was going to play in his life or at least, he had a good inkling. He couldn't actually think intelligently when she was in his arms, quieting his ramblings with one action.

It wasn't going to be easy. Their relationship was anything but. However, that certainly wasn't going to stop him, them from trying to stick together in their rather eccentrically fantastic life.

_TLTS_

Jr. ran into the main chambers of the castle. His mom had yelled for him, screaming loud enough that he could hear from his room, just as he and Minnie were reworking their…what did he call it now?

"_**A fucked up relationship, how about that?"**_

"_Shut up."_

"Yeah, mom?"

"You remember your little prisoner earlier?"

Jr. face-palmed, "He escaped, didn't he?"

"What do you think?"

"Mom, I'm sorry, but how was I supposed to know that he'd get out? Didn't you guys place guards at his cell?"

Mandy bristled and grabbed Charles by his collar.

"How did he escape?!"

"Mistress, we truly don't know!"

She growled in rage. She threw Charles away from her and barked, "Well, figure it the fuck out! I don't have time to waste with dealing with escapees. Security is your detail, Charles, and I better find within the day where he has gone."

"But Mistress, we do know. He's escaped into the Hellish Plains."

His mother turned her eye on Jr. then. She walked up to him, her aura literally saying 'I'm going to cut out someone's throat and feed it to Cerberus'.

"Boy, you better hurry up and find your father's scythe. This is becoming an annoyance. I do not like my authority being undermined!"

_TLTS_

Jr. was once again in the ballroom, staring at the invisible portal to hell. He sliced it open, ready to head alone.

"JR!"

He turned to see his mate staring at him, fearful. He sighed, wondering why he even said what he did and wanting to take it all back. He smiled as arrogantly as possible, giving her a thumbs up.

She smiled a little at it, waving demurely. That wave was cut short as she shrieked his name at the top of her lungs.

He didn't have time to turn and see what it was for when rough, scaly hands, grabbed him and pulled him into the portal.

His scythe clanging to the floor was the last thing he heard.

_TLTS_

"How did I end up in here?"

She had been walking the Hellish Plains for some time now. It had started with a typical demonic force creating a portal that swirled in the middle of the bay. Usual find said demon and force him to remove it. No one told her he would try to suck her soul in kamikaze style with the force of a black hole.

"Damn thing didn't want to go back. Now I have to wait till grandma finds the recipe in her attic, which will probably take till my 21st birthday."

"_Hey, I heard that! My attic is not that messy."_

"Ah-Mah, Monroe got lost in there this morning when we went looking for your old vanity mirror. It took us an hour to talk him-

She didn't get the sentence fully out before her ring went ballistic. She spun around a couple of times, trying to catch whatever had snuck up on her.

Except, nothing was there.

"What the-?"

"Get off me, you fucking bastards!"

She heard the scream over the hill of rotting weeds and tendrils of wood. She clambered up to see three men dragging a little boy behind them. They were cackling as they pulled him from a portal that was quickly closing.

"Well, dude, aren't you having a bad day."

_TLTS_

Jr. could see the portal behind him that wasn't keeping open for long. He kicked and tried to wrestle himself from the clawed grasp. He couldn't summon his Nergal, they held his foot in another hand.

And his scythe was back in the castle, lying on the floor in front of his mate.

"Get off me, you fucking bastards!"

It was at that moment, the portal fully shut, his last means of escape and survival vanishing into dust.

"You can let him go, Belphegor."

The man holding him snickered, then threw his body in front of them. Jr. tumbled against the ground, dislocating a few bones, but holding in tact. It was all he could afford himself right now.

"Well well well, we finally get to meet the Prince of the Underworld, the sharp dressed man yelled out to the recovering boy.

"How did you get to my dad's portal?"

"Strong, but not bright. With this, you little dumbass."

The man brandish his father's scythe. Jr. looked at it dismally. That thing was becoming more and more of a problem.

The man held it out for a second before a screeching something flew by and took it towards the giant coliseum off in the distance. He didn't have time to identify what the strange, black creature was, only enough to see the one thing he came for be ripped away from his grasp so easily. He lay on the ground before them, not having the will to get up and stand before them, not with his foot in their hands.

"Sorry, had to take care of that. Would hate for it to fall into the wrong hands." the man grinned at Jr., finding his little joke funny, "We would like to introduce ourselves. I am Mammon, Prince of Greed."

"Belphegor, Prince of Sloth."

"Leviathan, Prince of Envy."

Jr. look at the demons. Mammon was the leader, apparently, standing in the suit. He had various rings and necklaces on his person. The suit itself looked expensive; he should know, his mother was probably the most expensive person in the world. It was silver gold, the tint gleaming shining yellow, but the red of the fires making it shimmer red. His hair was slicked back and in his hand was a small box he molested. His eyes were the same as his suit, but the pupil was all wrong. It was like staring into the eyes of a dragon.

Belphegor was on his right, no longer standing, but leaning against him. If Mammon was flashy, Belphegor was anything but. He wore and ragged shirt that only covered half of an arm and chest, and his pants were torn at the shins. His hair was frazzled and thick with…creatures. Roaches and bugs, patches of matted hair that very well could pass for dirty fur, tics and fleas were jumping of every second. And just above the bags of his eyelids, light blue stared at him, but not circles. Squared and unfocused.

Leviathan was simply a copy of Mammon, but a rather bad version of him. His suit, which was actually dusty gray and had no gleam on it, hung on him. His tie was wrung out, his shirt half tucked, his coat engulfing him. It was as if he was in a hurry and did too little for it. His hair was unkempt, but not as bad as Belphegor's. He only had one ring his was wearing and broken glasses rimmed his face. He was nerdy almost, nowhere near as sophisticated as Mammon was, but trying to imitate him. It was a poor emulation in Jr's opinion.

Jr. knew he had no chance. His foot was in Mammon's grasp at the moment, so his Nergal was unable to truly do anything. He couldn't even talk.

He had learned very early on with his Nergal that the only way for it to truly be with him is if his entire body was connected, otherwise, it played dead. The only way to use his Nergal without the connection of his body is if someone else had the power to control a Nergal meta-physically, use their power and spirit to tap into the power of the demon.

Right now, he couldn't do it. He didn't have enough training for that. All he could do was watch as his tormentors saw fit what to do with him.

Mammon walked up and put his foot upon Jr's head.

"I suppose crushing your head would kill you, but we don't know that for sure, now do we?"

Instead, his head was kicked like a soccer ball, bouncing along the torn ground and into a rock. Jr. was in vertigo at the moment, trying to see where he was, in various places. He was now some ways away from his prone body and Mammon had tossed his foot to the sitting Belphegor.

"Brother, hold this for me, would you?"

"Do I have to too?"

Mammon growled.

"Fine, I'll keep it, but I'm not holding it."

Mammon approached his head.

"You are in my domain; I do as I wish here. You made a crucial mistake, thinking that just because you were a prince yourself, you could take us on. We have ben here since the beginning of time. Angels are repulsed by us, humans fear the thought of us, and Satanists worship us. What are you, but the son of Death, the simple carrier of souls?"

Jr. wanted to say something, but he was literally losing strength. He couldn't respond, couldn't think, and was just too tired.

"Oh, feeling a little sleepy? That's just my little box, working its magic."

Jr. looked at the small chest in Mammon's hand. It was open and wind was being sucked into it. No, not just wind, red energy… from his body!

"I'm taking the energy from your supernatural powers. Once it's done, it'll begin to pull your soul in. The soul of the Prince of the Underworld! That would be the greatest treasure I've ever pulled into my box!

HAHAHAHA-OOF!"

Mammon was thrown back by the force of the kick to his chest. His box was underneath the foot of the attacker.

"You know, it's not nice to pick on little kids. How about you take on someone your own size?"

Mammon glared up at the girl who had hit him. He could see the power of Jr's body returning. He smirked at the young lady that was now standing between him and the Prince.

"I see the Te Xuan Ze has made a little visit to Hell. What brings you here?"

"One of your friends tried to get out of here and I had to put him back. He didn't like it, so here I am."

"Oh, and what makes you think you have any power here, little girl?"

"Little? I just turned 14, bub!"

She leaped over him and kicked Belphegor in the face, making him drop the foot. She looked up as they all surrounded her.

"Get the little bitch!"

Leviathan and Belphegor charged her. She dodged a punch from the Sloth Prince and grabbed his arm, tossing him to his brother. They both rolled to the ground, but weren't fast enough for the spry young girl. She roll kicked Belphegor off his feet, tossing him onto the ground again, while Leviathan dropped to the ground after a leg sweep.

She leapt into the air, holding a strong fist back behind her. Leviathan shot his arms out, extending into spikes. The girl caught one of them, using it as leverage to swing herself onto it and slid down towards his surprised face. His face made a nice crunch underneath her heel.

Mammon was looking at the girl bring his brothers down by her jumps and kicks. It was his box he spotted that the grim circumstances grew better.

The girl was throwing the Princes left and right. They both were at her side and she was blocking every hit; right punch, elbow block, left kick, knee block. She ducked under Belphegor and punched his stomach hard, doubling him over before using his head as a stand to hold her up as she twisted her body to leg wrap around Leviathan's head, bending back and twisting him into the air as she came down onto a handstand. She threw him into the ground, knocking him out. Just as she let go, she went into a backflip, sending the tip of her boot into Belphegor's face, blood splattering the air with red.

"Come on guys, this all you got? This is a regular Tuesday for me. Give me something!"

"How about another portal for you to go into?"

Mammon had gotten to his box and opened it, the vortex extending into a whirlwind, pulling everything it could in. Jr., silent throughout the entire fight, could see his body begin to pick up from the wind.

"HEY, don't let him suck my body in!"

"I gotcha!"

Leviathan's prone body was the first thing to fly into the portal. Mammon shrugged; it was his box, he'd get his brother out once the teenage warrior bitch was stuck inside for eternity. Belphegor hung on for as long as he could.

"Dude, I am not getting stuck in another, random hole!"

She looked over to the Sloth Prince and grinned. He saw it and knew he was next.

She jumped back, just in front of him, holding her ground as the wind got harder. She could see Jr's body start to fly in and she knew she had to act fast. She jump rolled before sending a foot into Belphegor's already bleeding face. He couldn't take the strength she put in and he let go of the rock he had been holding onto. She was on his back riding him like a horse.

"Yeehaw!"

Just as he was nearing the box, she leapt of his back and saw Mammon's gob-smacked face before her fist entered his vision. He dropped the box in front of himself and realized he too was being sucked in.

"NOOOOOO!"

He was gone before it really made a difference. She closed the box, her boot stomping it close.

"Now you boys play nice in there!"

She punted it as far as she could, whistling as it splashed into the River Styx.

Jr. looked around. The entirety of his body was still intact. He was safe, for now at least.

"So, who are you kid?"

"Jr. Could you help me get my body back together please?"

"Sure."

"Soooo, who are you? You don't seem greedy."

"I'm not supposed to be dead. This is just my soul, which apparently is my body without the actual body."

She carried his prone body to him, sticking his head back on. Jr. cracked a couple of bones then looked at his foot some ways away.

"If you could, missss?"

"Juniper. Juniper Lee, but you can call me June."

"Cool. So, what are you waiting for?"

"For my grandma to open the portal back up so I can get back to my body. What about you?"

"They stole my dad's scythe."

"Who?"

"The Seven Princes of Hell."

"Who?"

"_June! You are talking to the crown Prince of the Underworld! His father is Death itself and his mother, the fabled…well, let's just say it's not a nice name."_

Jr. and June looked around as they heard Ah-Mah call out from the human plane. Jr. was confused, but Juniper looked at Jr. with awe.

"Woah, dude, you're like, royalty!"

"Uh, yeah. Who was that?"

"Oh, my grandma. She's looking for the recipe right now and communicating using a Betwixt crown. She can wear it and speak to anyone she wants in another plane of existence."

"Cool, so I'm not going crazy."

"So, I guess until she finds it, want me to help you out."

"Sure."

Juniper finally handed him his foot, and as Jr. rearranged it onto his leg, they began to head towards the River Styx.

"So, I guess we're crossing-AAAAHHHHHH!"

Neither one of the companions had paid attention to the dip in the road.

"_Really June?"_

* * *

**Yeah, I have no real reason that I haven't been here. Well, I mean, beyond college, I lost my muse and just couldn't find the will to write. Hope this isn't blindsiding.**


	32. Tainted Wrath

This is literally the longest chapter I have ever written...ever.

Prompt: Tainted Wrath

* * *

Jr. and June slid down a mountain of sand. They tried to stand, but the sand was shifting to fast, they couldn't keep up.

"Dude! Where is this going?!"

"I don't know!"

Jr. tried to morph his wings, but sand wasn't just underneath. Streams fell from above, stuffing his bones through the crevices and making him too heavy to push against the brittle quartz.

"Jr., look!"

Jr. turned around from the receding ledge to face a new problem; a large hole in the center of where they were sliding in from.

"Crap!"

With renewed purpose, they both tried to run fast, harder, but to no avail as the sand quickened and they were caught in the viscous quagmire.

"Nooo!"

June went first, with Jr. just above her, reaching for the black sky of Hell.

_TLTS_

Minnie sat across from her mother, her brother's scythe in her hand.

"You'll just have to bring it back to him."

Mandy sat cross legged, her lingerie barely hanging off her shoulders. She sighed, rubbing her temples. She didn't expect for the Princes to come back to the castle and steal her son away. It was bold and excessively stupid.

"Mother, thou jest! I cannot simply go through the veins of evil by myself. We must gather an army, ready our knights, and prepare for war!"

"Minnie, I don't have time to simply send my soldiers into Hell for one little boy."

"Thine own son?!"

"That's why you will go. You are capable, you're Nergal powers will keep you safe and your pet will also be by your side."

"Mother, she is a novice. Love in mine heart, she is unprepared, not yet trained!"

Mandy looked up.

"We'll have to fix that."

_TLTS_

"For everything you can do, a whip is too complicated for you? I caught you staring at this weapon as if you wanted to make it your own. Now make it your own! Try again."

Mandy stood in the training grounds, watching her new soldier. She wasn't going to let someone live in her house without a purpose, not matter what relation she had with her son and daughter.

Mimi had to have been out in the yard, drilling whip stances for at least three hours now. This is after Mandy drug her out from her hiding spot underneath Jr's bed and forced her to demonstrate her powers, after beating her into submission in the weapon room.

_TLTS_

"_ARGH!"_

_Mandy brought her hand around as Mimi jumped at her, fangs bared. She hit the floor with enough force to break her neck, but that didn't deter her, even as she wanted to tear up from the harsh slap._

_This woman had just tried to kill her not an hour before Jr. was kidnapped and now she wanted to see her powers? Mimi would certainly leave a scar on her pretty fucking face before that happened._

"_You just don't know when to quit, now do you, pet?"_

_And that! She hated how Mandy referred to her as nothing more than some common household creature._

_She jumped up, her tail whipping about her, aiming for Mandy's eye. The Queen needed only to move her head, but Mimi apparently had been expecting it, spinning her body so to catch Mandy on the cheek. It wasn't an eye, but she got her._

_Which proved to be a bad decision._

_Mandy, having quickly assessed what just happened, finally had enough of the little demon bitch. She curled a fist around the retreating tail and pulled hard, bringing Mimi down to the stone floor. Mimi gasped out in pain as her back collided with the ground._

_That wasn't enough for Mandy, however, as she proceeded to pick her up again and slam her on her face. This went on again and again until Mandy grew bored and her hand started to tingle in annoyance of the beating. She threw the Powerpuff daughter across the room until she hit the wall and fell to the floor, pieces of said wall falling atop her._

"_MOTHER!"_

_Minnie quickly ran into the room, hoping to save her mate from her mother's cruelty, but Mandy was having none of that._

"_Touch her, and I'll make sure I lock her in the dungeon for a week."_

_Minnie was perturbed. When she first felt her mate being hurt, it was a tingle. She figured that Mimi had fallen down some steps and went to go check. She had been walking towards the main corridor when the inflammation of a hand smacking her across the face hit her with a vengeance. She dropped to the ground in shock and pain. _

_She knew about the bond, had talked with her father about the Nergal bonding process, but never to the extent of actually feeling the pain physically. How was this different?_

_Whatever the difference, she knew she had to get to her mate soon, as her entire body began to crinkle and ache in pain._

_Seeing her mother standing above Mimi's prone body, she quickly deduced how her mother had literally wiped the floor with the little telepath._

"_Mother, please. Thou brings pain to my mate. Is this what thou's plans were in retrieving the heir to the Underworld?!"_

"_Maybe your pet should understand who rules these plains. I thought to educate her. You want your mate back, right?"_

_Mimi wasn't even moving and that's what worried Minnie. What if she had hurt her too much?_

"_Mother, thou art too willed in strength; my mate can only handle so much."_

"_She earns her keep in this house. She shall be used as I see fit."_

"_Prithee, thou canst be so bold as to say my mate is your slave?"_

"_Minnie, maybe you don't understand," Mandy commented as she walked up to her little girl, "As long as I am queen, I will do what I must to keep this kingdom standing tall and fierce. _

_My soldiers rush headfirst into battle, the knights I hold in my court are strong, my subjects are fearful as they are loyal. Even the prince and princess are chess pieces in my world, even if I gave birth to them."_

_Minnie could only stand shocked._

"_You may not understand, but I have more important things than morality. Whether you agree with me or not is not my problem."_

_Mandy walked away from Minnie, not once looking back. Minnie looked down at her unconscious mate, noting gratefully of her smooth intakes of air, as if she were sleeping. Her mother wasn't exactly done, however._

"_When she wakes up, send her to me. Her training begins soon and I don't have late pupils."_

_Minnie was appalled, but more surprised than anything. Is that why she was beating Mimi? _

_Her mother never trained soldiers; that was Lord Pain's job. Was Mimi so special her mother would train her personally?_

_TLTS_

Mandy still never got to see her new pupil's powers, but it didn't matter. She would get what she was looking for.

"I swear to you if you can't leap higher, I'll make sure you wear weights everyday while you do high jumps until your body breaks, do you hear me?!"

Mimi glared across the field at her new trainer. It's not like she cared; pain was nothing to her. Well, more so, but she wouldn't ever say it out loud.

It was her inattention that Mandy was able to get the best of her within only a second. Mimi nearly crumpled under the blow to her spine, but was able to flip away. She growled as Mandy stood before her, taunting her with a scoff.

Mimi brought the whip she still was holding around and arched it across her body. Mandy rolled just underneath the corded steel and swept Mimi's legs from under her. The half demon jumped up off her back, but lost the whip. Mandy picked up the weapon and started effortlessly slicing the air as she moved her arm back and forth in front of her body. The concrete began to chip as the force from the steel and speed connected against it.

Mimi stood up, watching the woman swing the whip. She had let go of it in haste to get away and now she was without a weapon; at least a physical one, but she wouldn't concede and give the crazy bitch what she wanted. And then Mandy spoke.

"Your mother was ten times the better fighter than you could ever be. And the slut still ended up as HIM's bitch."

It was at that moment Mimi's mind was a complete blank before a cold fury shivered into her body. Her rage went into her bones.

Mandy noticed as pebbles on the floor began to shake, then the rocks from training, and then larger pieces of the concrete began to chunk off the ground, rising as Mimi's hands clenched hard.

"_Take. THAT. BACK!"_

Mandy heard the mental scream, but didn't have time to assess the new information. The boulders from the ground flew across the arena towards Mandy. She cut them to pieces, the steel slicing straight through the rock as she walked forward.

Mimi was screaming now, her mind enraged! HOW DARE THIS WOMAN?!

Mandy could see the utter hate in her new pupil's eyes. The rocks were coming faster now and she had to actually move if she wanted her body to survive this.

Mimi began to actually use her powers. She began to imagine knives, their sharp ends aimed straight for Mandy's heart. Mandy spun the whip in a circle, using the speed to block the oncoming blades.

Mimi started thinking of larger objects; furniture, cars, monster trucks. She sent them with breakneck speed, hoping to crush her opponent under the weight. Mandy started dodging, rolling past some of them and using her whip to cut them in half around her body.

Mimi sent a SUV towards Mandy and the queen saw her chance. She leapt atop the vehicle and used her momentum to fly into the air above the telepath. She was coming down above her, her whip at the ready.

Mimi had enough of it; time for something more substantial. Out of thin air came an Air Force jet aimed directly at Mandy. Mandy's eyes widened only slightly; she didn't expect for the girl's powers to be as strong as this. That wouldn't stop her, however.

She swung the whip around, covering her arm with the unholy steel, and brought her arm back. Just as the plane came near, she hurled her strength straight into it, crunching into the nose of the plane before it all exploded.

Mimi watched on, her anger beginning to subside as she watched the end of her tormentor. Now, how did she explain-

"OOF!"

Mimi hit the ground as a weight came atop of her. Mandy stood with her leg atop of Mimi's chest, her arms crossed as she stared at Mimi. Her children's mate was shocked and confused. How?

"Trust me; my strength has yet to be truly tested. You were no match from the start."

She took her foot off and began walking away.

"Training's over for the day. We start tomorrow at noon; I don't like early wake up."

Mimi's shoulder's sagged as she watched the queen avoid the pile up of her imagination.

"And wipe your tears; your mother was stronger than that. Or do you not want to be able to surpass her?"

Mimi brought a hand up to her wet face; she had been crying? She could simply only stare as her new tormentor walked away.

"…_Surpass?"_

_TLTS_

Jr. sat up, shaking off the accumulating sand falling into the crevice he and Juniper fell into. The girl was just some ways away from him, muttering into the sand she fell face-first into.

He stood and took a look around. Apparently it wasn't just a crevice he fell into, but rather an opening into a large chamber that could have been every banker's wet dream for about twenty five yards. Nothing, but gold and silver fell from the chamber's many windows that as he walked up to, showed him nothing but flames. Even the structure was entirely made of precious metal, blinding him if he looked at one part for too long. When he looked up, the stalactites that hung from the ceiling were also coins, but melted together, making them gnarled and bent.

"Where are we?"

He looked back at June and shrugged. Hell if he knew. As he came down to the center of the room, he realized that a door was at the far end of the golden room. Just as he began to gesture to it, a sudden pain hit him and he could feel his mates' distress. What was happening back home? June looked at him quizzically.

"I'm alright, its nothing. I think we get out there. Let's go!"

He and the girl started down the hall, avoiding any falling coins just in case. Hell was a bag of tricks that anyone could fall into.

Just as they reached the end however, one particular coin aimed itself right at June, almost falling on her head. Her quick reflexes caught it before it made contact and she held it up to her eyes. When she got a clear glimpse, she wished she hadn't.

The coin held a tortured face and on the back was a group of men carrying large sacks on their backs. On the front it said "Squander" and the back had "Horde".

When Jr. turned to her and his eyes widened.

"What're you doing?!"

Before she could open her mouth, a large tremble rumbled through the chamber, knocking the teens of their feet. Jr. looked at June with annoyance as she gently sat the coin down and moved it as far away from her as possible. But it was far too late.

Suddenly, at some of the windows, crying and shouting could be heard and was getting louder. Jr. and June stood up, clenching their fists in defense as the sounds were growing more in length and number by each second until it reached a precipice that made the kids clutch their ears in hopes of stopping the screeching. Then silence.

Jr. looked up and gasped softly. He was looking at a window that held someone's face. It opened its mouth and he really wished it hadn't. A gentle whisper carried itself to their ears.

"Why…? Why do you horde…? WHY DO YOU SQUANDER?!"

The face peeled back and a large mace broke the window opening apart. The hole was just big enough to fit the large bodied man that hopped through. His body was that of a body builder. His skin was burned harshly and the coins that littered the chamber were also fused onto his body. He was a sight, but it was nothing compared to the weapon he was carrying. The spiked mace was about the size of a wrecking ball and looked about as heavy, yet the man lifted it with only some trouble. And to top it off, it was made of the same coins. He lifted a large ham hand and pointed it at June.

"You!"

"Me?"

"Do you know how much a gold coin of that caliber costs?! To waste such value and throw it away so easily!"

He growled as he hefted his weapon onto his shoulder.

"C'mon dude, I didn't pick it up; it fell onto me!"

"However you got into possession of the coin matters not; to simply throw away the coin makes you punishable!"

"I don't think he's going to listen to reason June."

Jr. started towards the man, just as the man started towards them. Before long, they were running at full speed towards each other, Jr. light on his feet while the man made the ground tremble every second. Just as they neared each other, the man brought his mace down, only to catch simply the wisp of Jr's hair. The Prince slid across the ground and materialized a dagger, cutting straight through the man's left ankle and crippling him. He leapt into the air before digging the blade into a burnt neck. He hopped in front of the man as he gurgled out blood and scratched for the blade that disappeared in green smoke. He fell to Jr's feet a second later.

"Hmmm, that was easy enough. Hey June, is the door open?"

She ran up to the door and jiggled the handle to find it was lock.

"Nope!"

Jr. nodded and looked down at the mace. They were getting out of there one way or another.

Jr. brought his hands around the handle, but the moment he tried to pick it up, he might as well have been trying to pick up a wrecking ball. He could barely get it to budge.

"_**Damn, just have to try everything the hard way, huh?"**_

"_Shut up and help me lift this!"_

"_**Sigh exasperatedly. You know there is an easier-"**_

"_I guess you aren't going to help me with this._

Tentacles grew out of his back and clutch the handle, lifting it with ease. Jr. turns to a surprised Juniper.

"_**Don't say I didn't try to help later."**_

"What?"

"…I just didn't think you were any…uhm."

"Yeah, I know I seemed useless earlier, but I can actually hold my own. You just caught me with my head off."

Jr. walked towards the door, June sidestepping him to get out of his way.

"Stand back; I'll need some room if I'm going to make a dent in this."

The mace was swung back and Junior swung it down as hard as he could, him and his Nergal putting in the strength to open the door. The contact created a reverberation throughout the entire chamber. June clapped her hands over her ears and Jr. materialized some earmuffs.

"Well, hopefully we'll get out of here soon."

Each bang, the large mace broke apart a little.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Jr. stopped for only a moment, panting as the mace was much heavier in his possession, but it was all that was needed as June began to hear the same moaning that predated the burnt warrior.

Jr. continued banging on the wall, but June was no longer paying attention, turning away from him and looking at the windows as more warriors began to make their way into the chamber. She couldn't hear them break in over Jr's constant bashing and he couldn't hear them over his earmuffs.

"Um, Jr.?"

He continued, breaking the mace and dropping coins little by little. She shook him.

"HOLD ON A MOMENT!"

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

She backed up when they started to enter closer, backing against the wall next to the battered door and making Jr. turn to her.

"June, I need you to move out of the way. I'd rather not actually-

She pointed in the middle of his sentence, shaking with apprehension of how many warriors just entered the chamber and those still climbing in. The room seemed to grow in order to accommodate them all. Jr. turned to face them and his face turned from confusion to a little fear.

"U-uhm, hi?"

Every one of the men and women were the same as the man who entered when they first started, burnt with coins littering their bodies and each holding a weapon made of the coins that fell to the floor. It was quiet for only a second. Then the screaming came.

"WHY DO YOU SQUANDER?!"

And then they came

_TLTS_

Mandy stood in the center of the training room, completely surrounded by her skeleton guards. She held two Glocks in her hands and a calculating look on her face.

She watched the movement of every one of them, gauging who would attack first and how to defend herself properly. Imagine her surprise when they all came at once.

"Hmph, no surprise."

She rolled to her left and leapt into the oncoming crowd, line backing her way through a multitude of bones. She dug her heels into a set of ribs and came down on them hard. She brought her guns up and the shooting began.

Every shot was precise, aimed straight at the head to incapacitate those that were close to her easily. The rest were dealt with accordingly.

A guard came at her left and she brought a heel up, stopping the lance that was aimed at her, and brought it to the ground before kicking his head off. She back flipped, sending the lance locked in the crook of her shoe into the air, allowing her to holster her guns, and caught it as it came down, twisting it behind her back, bringing the blade through the spine of another guard that had come from behind.

She grabbed the end and took a batter's swing towards the next that was coming at her with a sword and shield. The lance broke on impact of the shield and the guard took that chance to thrust forward. Mandy spun in a circle, the sword barely missing her, trapping the boney arm of the guard between her body and the rest of lance she held in both hands before bring it around her body. She thrust the butt of the broken stick into the guards jaw, breaking it and forcing him to let go of the sword. She caught the sword in her left hand before it could hit the ground and threw the rest of the lance, broken end at point, into the eye socket of another guard, the sheer force taking his head off.

The jawless guard before her had no time to wait before she was shoving the sword into his cranium and pulling it out.

She looked around again as the rest of the guards gathered into one spot. Though one could never tell as the guards had no expression on their faces, there was a slight tremble through each and every one of them.

"_I will never have another misstep so long as I live."_

"Come."

And so began the dance again.

_TLTS_

Minnie cleaned her mate of the accumulated grime and dust that had gotten on her form her training with her mother. It had been rather quiet since she got in and Minnie began cleaning her up.

"Mate…I beseech thine forgiveness. My mother's cruelty is known throughout the supernatural plane. I take full blame of this."

"_Not…your fault. Queen…Bitch."_

Minnie couldn't actually respond to that, not because it was rude, but because that name always accompanied her mother's reputation. She sighed as she rubbed alcohol onto another patch of skinned flesh, hearing her mate hiss.

"Sorry."

Mimi's tail came up and settled on Minnie's thigh, as if placating any remorse. Minnie had to smile at that. She needed a little comfort and her new mate, while mute, was not as distant as she first started out to be. Then again, incident after incident came up and she barely saw her brother, her usual teddy bear that helped calm her, so anything was better than being alone. Her new mate just so happened to be a consolation prize.

The entire situation, since her capture at Cthulhu hand, grew worse. The Christmas interlude did absolutely nothing as her brother and she were separated once more. Her father's scythe going missing, her brother out on a mission that could very well take his life, him bringing home another mate, her mother preparing for what she was certain was war.

She had never seen her mother train as harshly as she was making them now, nor did she see her train as vigorously as she was at this moment, killing her guards off and making her father reanimate them when she was finished, just so she could restart the next day.

It was beginning to frighten Minnie. Just what did the future have in store that had her mother as riled as she did?

_TLTS_

Jr. and June had long since separated in the chamber, each fighting their own set of warrior souls.

Well, to call them all warriors were stretching the truth a little. Some were actually fit, athletic in stature and strong as well. However, not all of them were like that. Some were scrawny and made the duo wonder how they were even fit to hold their weapons. But they did, with ease and precision that had June nearly losing her head and Jr. having to give more space in his head for his Nergal to invade.

"_**Sword to your right."**_

Jr. slid back and moved inside the blade that cut through air. His body brought a hammer up to knock the man of his feet.

"_**A group coming with a set of shields. Watch it."**_

He flipped over to them and leapt just above them, his hands curling into a wrecking ball and coming down on the squad below hard. He didn't have time to wonder if they were dead, his hands coming back with scimitars as he moved onto he next set of people.

He sliced and slashed, cutting them all deep into the flesh and bone. Warriors or not, the souls were still human and in hell; they would die only to spawn in their original place, so that they could continue to serve their sentence. What scared him, however, was the precision and skill. Not of the warriors themselves, but of himself. He didn't know how to handle these blades, never held a scimitar in his life, but it would seem his Nergal didn't need to have held them before. He knew exactly where to cut, where to aim, where to block.

"_**Look, I know this is weird, but you're going to have to just trust that I'll be able to get you out of this safely."**_

"_It's not my safety that I'm worried for."_

Ever since the Nergal started to suggest he let him into his mind, a presence he had felt ever since he attached the orb of his sister's eye into his head, he was afraid that sooner or later, the Nergal would finally try to take over. Sure, they were a great team, but what if his Nergal finally decided he had enough of being parasite to his host and simply overtook his body by force, breaking through his mentality like tissue.

Still, that meant nothing if he couldn't survive.

"_**On your left!"**_

Jr. turned with his hand a hammer, breaking the neck of two attackers.

"_Thanks."_

June brought her hands up to stop the mace that was coming down on her, her magical strength keeping her from becoming a blood splatter on the shining tiles. She punched straight through it, dropping coins everywhere. She picked up a chunk that fell to the ground and tossed it like a baseball, taking the head off the man holding the broken end of his weapon.

"Sorry, dude. You kinda had it coming. Woah!"

She leapt back, onto the wall above the door leading to freedom, vaulting forward into the air above the rest of those gunning for her. She landed on someone's face, knocking them out before she cartwheeled off him, a blade missing her hair by the width. She kneed the wielder, forcing her to drop the weapon. Juniper quickly grabbed it, bringing it up just in time to block a spear aimed at her stomach.

June parried, circling her sword before stabbing the sinned soul straight through the chest. He gurgled then fell, just in time for another to leap over him, her morning star aimed at June's head. June caught it in her stolen sword before yanking hard, bringing the woman down to the ground and kicking her face.

"Jr! We really need to figure out a way to get out of here!"

"I'm sorry, I had a plan, I just wanted to keep you on edge! How about you think of something instead of asking the same guy who's trying to survive as much as you are!"

June wanted to roll her eyes, so she did. What made him think sarcasm was needed?

They kept fighting as long as they could, but it wouldn't be long before fatigue set in. They were teens; as magical and supernaturally charged as they were, they only could keep for so long. They had to figure out a way to either stop the influx of vicious warriors or get the hell out of there.

Jr. soon realized this as well. While he could actually keep going, his Nergal did have a stop time. It just took way longer than most. However, he had to protect June so just in the midst of an arrow passing over his head, he shot up into the air, his wings beating the wind and knocking several warriors off their feet. He flew straight over to June and grabbed her up, ascending to the ceiling, stopping just below the golden stalactites.

She held onto his back, watching as the warriors clamored, screaming about their squandering over and over. Oddly enough, warriors stopped pouring in from the windows.

"What do we do? Like it isn't hard enough to just break through the door, now we have to survive?"

Jr. flapped a little higher as some began notching arrows and others began throwing their spears.

"Watch out for the coins, or more will come in!"

It was too late; his wing already knocked some coins from the ceiling. Jr. cursed and June sighed as the coins fell to the warriors. Something odd happened at that moment. A lot of them began to back away quickly from the falling debris. One didn't get away fast enough and a couple of coins hit his head. It grew very quiet at that moment. The warrior look scared as the rest of them backed away from him, staring at him intently. He shook hard, looking at them all.

A couple of warriors backed away as more warriors crawled in. The warrior the coins fell on dropped his weapon and held his head down. A warrior came up to him, his sword at his side.

"Why do you squander?"

"Because I am greedy."

"Hmmm."

He poised his sword over his head and brought it down hard. The head rolled on the floor, blood pooling at his decapitated body. Once dead, the warriors quickly crowded up again, clamoring up at them.

"Well, that's interesting."

Jr. looked at the ceiling covered in coins. That wouldn't work; it would just bring more in. He looked down, various coins already littering the floor.

"Grab onto the ceiling, gently."

June climbed on a coin-made spire. Jr. looked down.

"_I'm going to need to something that can make some space."_

"_**I've got just the thing!"**_

Out of Jr's arm grew a cannon; a pretty large one too. Jr. and June's eyes grew large. Even some of the warriors were deterred slightly.

"Woah."

"Wow!"

"_**Yeah baby!"**_

Jr. aimed into the crowd and fired a large ball of green fire. The contact hitting the ground knocked the crowd apart and Jr. dropped down quick. He grabbed two handfuls of coins and looked at the crowd. He looked as they thought about coming after him, but stopped once they got an eye of his hands clutching the gold.

"Why do you hoard!?"

Jr. smirked.

"You want it? Here, take it all!"

He leapt over them and threw both hands out, releasing the coins onto the sinned souls. Flew up to the ceiling and waited.

The crowded grew silent for only a second until they began to screech again, except, it wasn't aimed at Jr. and June. They screamed at each other, their usual questions now directed towards their brothers and sister in hell.

"Why do you hoard, why do you squander?!"

Soon, they separated into two groups and faced each other; those that were hit with a coin and those that weren't. Just as the screaming reached its precipice, the groups clashed into each other, stabbing and bludgeoning each other, their brutality knowing no bounds.

"Come on!"

June leaped from the ceiling, coins falling onto more warriors and making them targets, and grabbed onto Jr's legs. They flew over to the dented door, taking another handful of coins as other warriors came their way and threw them, making them fight each other instead.

"Alright, now what?!"

Jr. opened his hand again, another cannon emerging. As he felt the fireball charge, he began to feel weak again.

"_**Last time, buddy."**_

"_I know!"_

June stood back as he let loose another shot. The door exploded open and both ran out, the screaming inside still going until the door slammed back, the door fixed and sealed shut. They could hear no more afterwards.

"What the?"

They both turned to look at the building. It was covered in small, slitted windows and the only light that illuminated it came from the crevice from which they fell. It seemed even a lot smaller than what it seemed from the inside.

"Yeah, Hell is as weird and freaky as it gets."

Jr. around on the platform they were standing on. It led to a set of stairs, but what really caught his eye was the hills that stretched on in the inflamed distant for miles. He gestured to June behind him.

"C'mon."

As they descended, Jr. had a revelation.

"_If you could have had me do that all along, we wouldn't have been in this mess!"_

"_**I said you were doing this the hard way! Don't blame me just because you didn't want to listen."**_

Jr. could only sigh in derision.

_TLTS_

Satan looked at the Styx River over a boat, Lucifer at his side with the scythe.

"It would seem that the boy is getting closer here."

"Yeah, it's cuz of that Te Xuan bitch getting in. I'm going to murder that little demon for letting her in."

"Yes, yes, in a glorious rage, I've heard it all before. What will you do once they get here?"

Satan looked back and smirked.

"What do you think will happen, brother?"

Lucifer shrugged with a smirk on his face. Satan was not amused.

"You think so little of me? Hmph doesn't matter. I'm going to bring that boy's head back on a spike and that girl too."

Satan licked his lips.

"She's strong; I do believe she'll be able to take a beating. We can use her for a little…fun. I haven't had someone who could take my brand of lovin' since…"

"Since the whore, I know. But you can only blame yourself. Did you really believe that she would survive the childbirth of the flame?"

"I had hopes she would. Oh well, she was fun while she lasted."

"Where is your heir, anyhow?"

Satan smirked again. He raised a hand towards the middle of the river.

"Rise, King of Flames!"

The grunting of the souls turned to screams as a red and yellow heat rose from the river. A fireball emerged and exploded, the spits of fire raining upon the damned. Adram was floating, wearing only breeches that had burn holes in them.

"Father, I am here."

"You see, Lucifer? He is, once again, controllable. I have rearranged his mind again and he will only obey me."

"And if you die?"

"Even if there were a chance of that happening, he will just be sent back to the Phlegethon River, in chains this time."

"And his mind."

"So long as he isn't cut free, he'll stay a slave."

Lucifer shrugged at that. No sense in arguing. He turned away from him.

"I know you're stronger than the boy himself, but you forget his Nergal."

There was a hard silence from that.

"That abomination. I'll make sure the boy dies before that…thing can fully extract his power. I won't even give him the chance."

Lucifer didn't say anything to that. How could he even think of mentioning the tremble in his brother's voice, the apprehension that permeated the air? If there was one thing that Lucifer and the other Prince's never took lightly, it was the Nergal.

They paid no heed to it beforehand because the boy had his scythe; he wouldn't use the Nergal powers that often. They would have been safe.

But because Mammon deterred from the plan, actively disobeying him and kidnapping the boy into Hell without waiting, Jr. was now forced to use it.

It made him a much more formidable force to be reckoned with.

"I won't die."

"I wish I could be certain of that, otherwise, I wouldn't be hurrying."

Lucifer let loose his wings and took flight.

Satan watched his brother fly off. At this point, it was just them two. Mammon got Leviathan and Belphegor into trouble and if the kids were making their way into his own domain, then they had to have been beaten. It was him and Lucy now.

"I won't die!"

_TLTS_

Jr. and June walked through the large hills, shining against the fire that covered the skies.

It was interesting. The souls looked just like the warriors they left in the chamber, their bodies littered with melted on coins and ripped cloths. They dragged their weapons behind him up the hills.

Those that got to the top did the same as those that did in the chamber, charging at each other at full speed. Some were stabbed straight through, others were knocked right down the hill, and some even broke their weapons upon impact. However, no matter what happened, they still got back up and began climbing the hills again, repeating the action over and over.

Jr. looked down the rows of hills and with his greater vision, saw that there were some that were wheeling carts containing the coins towards an ocean of gold. It seemed the more coins they put in, the more hills that were produced, the gold stacking atop itself. His eyes widened when those that dropped their coins into the lake were pushed themselves, adding to the towering creations.

"So this is Hell, huh? Kind of worse than what I imagined."

"Try to imagine what it means to live in the supernatural plane," Jr. turned to her, his somberness giving her a real sense of how bad the place she was stuck at really was.

"Ah-Mah, are you close to getting that recipe thing?"

"_June, you're going to have to give me time to make it! This recipe calls for a lot of ingredients, most of which I had Ray-ray and Monroe go get for me. Just hang tight!"_

June sighed, wanting to really get out of there as quickly as possible. Sure, she wanted to help Jr., but this wasn't her jurisdiction and she definitely didn't want to be in Hell for longer than needed. Besides, he could take care of himself…as long as he kept his head on his shoulders.

They were beginning to see the hills gradually give way to smaller ones and a transition to gritty sand. Jr. kneeled down and touched it, feeling the excessive heat from it and catching sight of the steam that rose when his feet shifted the quartz. He looked up and saw the murky water the sand lead to. Off in a short distance, a coliseum stood, a dark cloud held over it. It was less flames, more storm.

"Hey, over here!"

June pulled a canoe that had been overturned some ways away from them. It had scorch marks at the bottom, but still looked usable.

They got in and Jr. materialized a paddle for them, rowing towards the large structure.

"So, Jr?"

Jr. looked back at her.

"What's it like to live in the underworld?"

"…Pretty dull, actually. Things like this usually don't happen. Often, me and my…sister go with Mom and Dad to whatever kingdom that they have to add onto the Underworld. Did you know that there are a lot of demons that reproduce and many of those that do are actually royalty? Not in the sense of owning land, but their power is so great, they are considered lords and kings."

"How many kingdoms like that pop up?"

"Dozens. Some are lords of a demonic army; others hold a kingdom by themselves, simply because they don't need an army."

"Hmm. Interesting. I mean, not like it matters. Hell is gonna be here forever, right?"

"…Technically no. For humans, it does mean forever. It's supposed be a while before humans know the full truth about the Heaven and Hell."

"Wait, what're you talking about?"

"Haven't you ever heard of the apocalypse?"

"You mean at the end of that giant book no one actually reads till the end, except, you know, by a whole bunch of others that are either fanatics or really devoted?"

"Yes, the Bible does have some merit. Heaven and Hell are supposed to clash one day and it's then that the world is supposed to be remade, with all the humans that aren't exactly invited into Heaven during the war either stay on Earth and must commit acts of good for their souls to be worthy or remain on the broken world they made for themselves. Many that are truly sinful will end up being erased from the cosmos."

June gulped.

"Yeah, I don't even know about all that. Still studying for it."

"Study?"

"Yeah. My mom taught me all about this. Me and my sister. Said if we were to rule one day, we needed to know what would happen during our reign."

"Your mom thinks the apocalypse will happen during your life?"

"My mom prepares for anything, even if there isn't anything to prepare for yet. She likes to make sure she's a step ahead of the curve."

"Wait, so you aid the demons that are supposed to fight against Heaven? Isn't that kind of evil?"

"We don't aid them; we establish their kingdom for them once they come to power. We, as rulers of the underworld, have to maintain a balance. You could say we're pretty neutral. Only reason why is because we know that Heaven will win. So we placate the demons, otherwise those that have the immense power will try to reach Earth to establish a kingdom there. We'd have to intervene then because the balance has been broken."

"What about the demons that are there daily?! Why don't you send them back?"

"Because humans are often the ones to call them to Earth. If the demons go on Earth uninvited, of course we'll get them or at least, we've placed supernatural beings on the Earth to keep them in line.

Early in the creation of the human plane, there was a demonic aura that had escaped Hell. It began to fester at the edge of the cosmos, hoping to darken the universe once it grew enough. God saw this entity form and knew he couldn't allow for it to continue, otherwise the human plane would be lost. It was this incident that forced powerful disciples of God to go to the human plane, charged with destroying it. When a piece of it fell to Earth and began to cause trouble there, the disciples reemerged to help humans destroy the creature it had become; Aku. He laid dormant due to a battle that had taken place centuries ago before reappearing recently."

"I've heard of him! It was all over the news, except a man named Jack appeared."

"It was Jack's clan who received the power the disciples would provide. The clan honed their magic, doing their best to get a hold on the magic so that they were ready once Aku awoke. I actually didn't realize when I first met you, but Jack's clan is actually your own; the Te Xuan Ze were the ones to receive the power."

"Wait, seriously?! So, who's Jack? Like my second cousin or something?"

"Try five times great cousin. Jack is from the feudal era."

"How did he get here?"

"Your clan, now fully able to work their magic, brought him to defeat Aku."

"What happened to him? We saw Jack stab Aku through the heart, but he disintegrated afterwards."

"He didn't die, just his physical form was destroyed. Aku the demon now resides in a kingdom all his own. It's actually a universe where he won against Jack and overtook the universe, but because it's the only universe he won in, he retreated back to the supernatural world with it so that no one could summon Jack for help. Last I heard, he had a princess, but they were just rumors, or so my mom said. Jack hasn't really been heard from, but I guess he's out there, now living his life."

"How does your dad fit in all this?"

"My dad is responsible for a lot of things. He was the one who counseled God that it would be a good idea to send the disciples to destroy Aku's demonic power before it could fester. My dad has been in the universe for as long as there has been a universe."

"Who's your sis-

The boat jerked forward, throwing them to the front. They looked up and into the water. Apparently they crashed into some kind of pale branches.

"Hmm, it's going to be harder to get through this. It's like a dozen trees fell here and their branches broke off."

"_June, I'm almost done gathering the ingredients. Just hold on for a little while! Also, be careful, I'm sensing some powerful evil in that area!"_

"Well, that's comf-!

The boat was tossed into the air as angry snarls permeated the air. Jr. and June grabbed onto a seat in the boat so as not to get thrown off.

"What's happening?!"

"Don't ask me! I don't regularly go to Hell as much as you think!"

They held on as much as they could before the boat slammed back down into the water, splashing the murky liquid into the air. Jr. leaned over the boat to see angry faces retreating into the abyss. June leaned over to him, whispering.

"We need to get out of here, fast!"

Jr. nodded.

"_Any ideas you got for me?"_

"_**Let's see. Hmmmm."**_

Jr. didn't get an acknowledgement, instead he just felt the presence in his mind again. His hands flattened and began to spin speedily. He smiled. Maybe he shouldn't be as apprehensive about the brain thing as he was.

The snarls came back, but Jr. ignored them. He gestured back to June.

"Hang on, it's about to get bumpy!"

He stuck his hand into the water and what came out was a colorful red mixture of blood and mud water as the boat rocketed away from the dangerous souls that filled the water they traveled.

"This is seriously awesome, but a little gory!"

"Yea, I know. Isn't it cool!?"

Jr. noticed how the water started to get thicker and the blood, darker. It was starting to get harder to power through all the chunky meat he was cutting up. But they were getting closer towards the structure and spires were starting to pop up, all up to a crevice leading to a platform that opened with a set of stairs. Jr. pulled his rudder hand out of the water, blood, chunks of flesh, and what was now mud from the murkier swamp they had just entered.

Jr. took a look around, canoes, just like that of the one they were sitting on, covered the area. Apparently, it was livelier over here than it was at the beginning, except, the souls were fighting each other, paying no attention to their new audience.

"What is this?"

"This is the River Styx! Welcome to my domain!"

Jr. and June looked up quickly to see a largely muscled man standing atop the steps leading towards large pillars and the coliseum they were heading to.

"Hello, Prince Jr.! How have you been? See you took my brother's forced invitation. I apologize for it, as it wasn't a part of the plan, but it doesn't really matter. What matters," he bellowed as he continued to walk down the stairs, his calves stretching the pants he wore, "is that you are here now.

You even brought the Te Xuan Ze. It's nice to see one of your kind again. After we sent Aku, we figured the job would be done. I guess humans really do have more power than what we give them credit for. Especially with how alluring they come out of the womb."

He licked his lips at June, who shivered in disgust.

They got a really good look at him once he made it to the bottom and into a canoe. Largely muscled was an understatement; he was massive. His strength rippled underneath his leather breeches. That was actually his only piece of clothing as his chest was bare and his arms only accessorized with twin braces. He reminded Jr. of Cthulhu with his jet black hair and cinnamon skin.

"Dude, I'm, like, fourteen. And, uh, I don't like bringing work home with me. Causes problems I don't like dealing with."

"June, he's a demon. They're sadistic creatures with no morals. He'll want you no matter what you look like."

"Hey, that's rude."

He was gone one second and standing in front of them the next. His hand was poised downward and brought it up. June put her arms up just in time to take the smack to the face.

Jr. responded quickly, somersaulting into the air and bringing his feet to the man's face, leaping off it to catch June before she hit the canoe.

"My name is Satan," he landed on the canoe near them, the violence beneath stopping for a second, "and I am here to kill the Prince and take the warrior as my new slut!"

"Wow, dude, a little ambitious huh?"

Satan chuckled and stepped off the canoe. Hands from underneath the water created a platform for him to step on. Jr. and June could feel the power rolling off him in waves. They looked at each other and both could see the trepidation behind their steeled eyes. They could see his eyes begin to glow dark red, the entirety of the pupil covering his eyes.

He growled loudly and began a howl that echoed, making them cover their ears. The murky water began to rise onto his legs and the fiery storm above them began to rumble before a tornado fell from the sky, beginning to cover his body. His vibrating voice broke through the winds that were rocking them in the boat.

"June, you might want to get away from here!"

"And miss all the fun?! I don't think so mister!"

"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHH!"

The winds and water swirled around him in a mix of black and red, the winds viciously tearing the very meat from the souls underneath. Jr. grabbed June and leaped from the boat they were on, sticking his claw into the rock crevice to keep from being pulled in.

And suddenly, it stopped just like that. The winds dissipated and the grey water fell back into the river. And out stood Satan, in all his red glory.

His torso was completely red and dark blood spilled over him in rivulets. His arms were long and strong, his hands claws that look able to rend steel. His legs were thick and covered in black hair, all the way down until they end in hooves. His head was just as red as his torso and at the top, like out of a religious manuscript describing him, was horns, curled around once. When he opened his mouth, all of his teeth were sharp, like that of a bear's.

"You wanted me?!"

His left hoof lifted and came down on the side of a canoe, catapulting it into the air before he grabbed it.

"Well, I hope you came prepared! Because only one of us will leave this place alive!"

He broke the canoe in half like a twig. His arms came down across his body and the canoe broke into pieces. He waved his hand and the pieces stilled in the air. His hands came together in a resounding clap and the pieces flew towards the two teens.

"_**45%!"**_

Jr. didn't even argue as he let the presence into his mind immediately and a large shield emerged from his head, blocking the pieces, but raining shards of wood upon them. It hit Jr. in the ankle and he had to leap from the wall into a canoe, trying to keep June from getting hurt.

When he looked up, Satan was standing right in front of them. He didn't even make a sound when he moved.

"_This is going to suck."_

_TLTS_

Satan grabbed little Boy Death by his spine and lifted him from the boat. June reached out towards him.

"Jr!"

Satan kicked the boat, sending it careening across the river with June inside. Once it landed, hands came up to grip the sides, trying to bring it down. June looked around in exhaustion.

"Are you serious right now?"

Jr. brought his foot up, a spike protruding from his shoe, and caught Satan in his stomach. Satan howled, his grip loosened, and Jr. took that moment to get out. He catapulted from Satan's chest into another canoe, turning to the Wrath Prince. Satan turned to him and began running towards him, hands creating a platform for wherever he stepped. Just as he got near, June came barrel rolling from the side, the back of her foot snapping Satan's head to the side and sending him across the river. She landed in a canoe and looked up to Jr., giving him a thumbs up. He smirked and nodded before looking towards Satan.

"Let's get him!"

Jr. and June both flew into the air, heading straight for Satan. The Wrath Prince was ready to answer.

Jr. came first, his fist aimed for the demon's head. Satan leaned to the right, catching Jr. by his leg and spinning before sending him right towards June.

"Catch my hand, June!"

Jr. opened his hands to catch June's and spun once they connected. Using their momentum, Jr. flung June towards the red monster. Satan cocked his hand back to punch her, but didn't make contact as June merely flipped over his beefy arm, using it as leverage to handstand before bringing her leg down on Satan's head. He staggered, but didn't drop, grabbing the offending leg and bringing June down behind him. Her back connected with a platform of hands hard and she gasped in pain.

"Let her go!"

Jr. propelled himself through the air, his hands forming an anchor. Satan didn't have time to get out of the way as Jr. came barreling straight at his stomach. He let go of June, clutching his stomach and gagging. Jr. used his wings to rebound off the water and flew straight up, a boxer glove upper cutting Satan right in his jaw.

June fell into a canoe and saw Satan taking lifting into the air from the punch. She jumped up and caught his horns from behind before throwing him straight down, his body splashing into the water. Jr. caught her before she could fall.

They landed in a nearby canoe and high fived.

"Nice!"

"Don't think you've won yet."

Satan emerged from the water and stepped onto another platform of hands, a sneer on his wet face. He lifted his leg high before bringing it down hard.

DOOOOM!

The canoe's all rattled at that and Jr. and June could feel the power begin to seep into the river. He lifted his hoof again before bringing it down, creating another resounding blow.

The canoes began to sink and Jr. grabbed June, taking flight. He looked down to see hands emerge from all over the place, turning the river into a flatland. They landed and looked around. Jr. looked at Satan incredulously.

"Is that all you got? What does this do, but help us get around?"

Satan just smirked.

They heard it from a distance. A high pitched wail came from a distance. It sounded like a lot of them and they were getting louder. Soon, Jr. could actually see a glimpse of what was coming. It looked like what had grabbed the scythe when he was being dragged through the dirt by Mammon.

Large black wings flapped in the air, heading straight for them.

"Did you think I would not have backup?"

"Thought Satan didn't need back up."

"If I wasn't going to use the Te Xuan bitch as my personal whore and simply needed to kill you both, trust me, it would have been all too easy. I need something keep her busy while I deal with you. Don't worry; they won't kill you, but who's to say they won't do their best to make you work for your life."

They were getting closer.

"I hope you're ready Prince of the Underworld. Once they come, it's just going to be you and me and once it is, I won't hold back!"

_TLTS_

When they arrived, they reminded Jr. of the angel from the other time line. He remembered the celestial being huge and strong; his blue armor shining even in the dark light of the Hell chamber that HIM trapped him and the soul of Minnie in. His strength, his sheer power, he remembered even though he didn't understand that was what was making his skin crawl.

He hated that bastard, simply because he had the audacity to try to take his sister from him. It was selfish, it was arrogant, it was childish, but he would have done anything at that moment to have the power to strike him down if it meant keeping his sister at his side, no matter how noble his job was.

What he was looking at was the perversion of that being. Their wings were blackened from what looked like soot and what wasn't covered in soot was dirty grey. What was left of their armor hung off their weak and famished frames. Their eyes glowed with a deep red that spilled down their cheeks like blood. At their sides they held remnants of their posts in Heaven; spears that were rusted and chipped in one hand and dented and broken shields in the other. And to top off their descent into Hell were the small, light protrusions from their head, like horns trying to burst through their skull.

What was once an angel was now pitiful to look at.

There was a brigade of them, all similar in the look of deranged and deathly.

"These are the fallen angels that guard the walls of Dis. They have committed sins against either humanity or Heaven and have fallen from grace. Who would have thought being so far from God's love they would wither and decay into what they are now; lapdogs for our use, minds lost and willing to do anything to please powers stronger than them."

Jr. and June looked at each other and back at the beings that hovered behind Satan. They stood, hands clenched, ready for another fight that losing simply was not optional. June nodded at Jr.

"You ready, man? This won't be easy."

Jr. audaciously looked determined.

_TLTS_

Jr. leaped into the air, aiming straight for Satan. He brought hands clenching each other down on him hard, gauntlets attach to his arms now. Satan grabbed them and brought him into the ground hard before kneeing him away. Jr. shook his head once he could regain his bearings. He could hear the Nergal growling.

"_**60%"**_

"_Damn, dude, that much?"_

"_**We have our work cut out for us."**_

Jr. let the presence enter his mind more and stop just over half in his mind. Now he could hear his thoughts and see the thoughts of his demon. It actually was nothing more than various weapons and transformations that Jr. could turn into at the moment.

"Let's fucking go, Satan!"

"You asked for this!"

Jr. cartwheeled when Satan came bounding towards him, his speed quick for such a large size.

"_Damn, he's quick as hell!"_

Jr. could only get that thought out as Satan appeared before him, hand coming around in an arch swipe. Jr. back flipped before crouching and spinning, leg sweeping with knight's armor from his knees down. Satan fell over, but instead went into a handstand before twirling in place, kicking Jr. in the head and sending him flying across the river platform.

Jr. grew claws and dug them into the hands that were holding him up. They did nothing, not even flinch. Jr. stood and looked down in shock. Blood gushed up from the wounds he made, but the souls still held.

"That's how powerful I am. I can force the very souls of humans to do exactly what I say."

"So you can get a bunch of humans to play Simon Says?"

Satan's eyes flashed at that, growling low in his throat.

"Don't mock me, boy."

Jr. dashed towards Satan, his claw outstretched. He took a swipe and missed as Satan dodged. He used his momentum to propel forward, his hand standing him up before he pushed off into the air. Once he peaked up, he created a cannon in his arm and aimed at Satan.

"Fuck you!"

He shot a missile straight at Satan's face. The Wrath Prince didn't have time to dodge; instead he cocked a fist back and as the missile got close, punched it, fire exploding around him.

Jr. rolled across the ground and smirked. It dropped once he saw Satan unharmed.

"You'll have to do better than that boy!"

"Crap."

June flipped over the spear struck at her. She ducked the next one and back flipped, kicking it up. She dug her foot into the hand holding her up and pushed forward, her fist colliding with the belly of fallen angel before her.

It was mostly dodge and roll for her, trying to keep out of range from the angels crowding together and pecking her apart with their spears like crows.

An angel tried to bring his spear down on her head, but she simply grabbed it once it got close and stabbed it into the platform of hands before catapulting herself up, kicking the angel in the face. Using her momentum, she swung around the pole handle, knocking a couple of other angels off their feet. She swung down and pulled the spear free of the hand. It gushed out, red spurting into the air; however, the hand remained unmoved.

"Dude, didn't that hurt!?"

"_June, I have all the ingredients. Now you just have to wait ten minutes for the dragon oil to boil and I can get started."_

"AH-MAH, I don't have ten minutes!"

"_Hey, making this stuff isn't easy, you know."_

June sighed, but quickly ducked the spear thrown at her. She leaped over to the thrower and kicked him in the face before using him as leverage to jump into the air. She threw her own spear right down, the point slamming into his forehead and exiting the back of his skull. Black blood ran down the pole and June shivered when she landed.

"Ewww!"

The fallen angel trembled before sliding down the pole. He hit the ground, but June didn't have time to pay attention. The other fallen angels came from behind her and she quickly grabbed the spear, blocking the oncoming assault.

She noticed when one was missing and she leaned back to see the missing angel healing his brethren, the hole in his head closing right up.

"Oh, come on!"

Jr. was barely keeping himself alive, Satan actually much more formidable one on one.

"I hope you didn't believe that you would escape your fate so easily just because you had a handicap."

Satan punched into the crevice Jr. had perched upon, large rocks breaking off from the crater. Jr. landed across the area and dodged as Satan took a particularly large one and tossed it over to him. Jr. hid behind it as Satan began to throw the rest of them.

"Screw you, man!"

"_Do you have any ideas?"_

"_**70%."**_

"_It can't be that serious!? I can take him!"_

"_**Trust me!"**_

"_How can I?"_

It was silent and the first time he actually addressed to his Nergal that he didn't fully rely on him as previously thought.

"_**What makes you think I'll let you die?"**_

"_It isn't the dying part, it's my mind and soul locked inside of you…I don't want what happened-_

"_**I know what happened! Don't you think I know that?!"**_

He heard his Nergal sigh.

"_**I've come this far with you. We've been through Hell and back, no pun intended. Well, slightly intended.**_

_**I know what happened in the past, I know why you don't like me in your mind, but I wouldn't have allowed for you to control me this much if I was like before. Don't worry; I've got your back."**_

Jr. was pensive, but clenched his hand decisively. He let more of the presence into his mind than he really wanted. He was now less in control of his body than he had ever been and it scared him.

However, he allowed for his body to now move on its own, just slightly. He picked up the boulder he was hiding behind and threw it right back at Satan. The feeling propelled him forward and he was moving at a speed he wasn't sure was possible without the Nergal. Satan was now on guard, blocking various jabs and kicks Little Boy Death was throwing.

"Oh, so now you want a fight?"

"This won't be a fight!"

Jr. finally caught him in the stomach, making Satan double over and he brought an open palm to smash into his face. He kicked Satan away, his leg stronger.

Satan landed and growled. He flew up from his back into the air, his hands clenched together behind his head. He came down on Jr., who juked to the left and dug his heel into the ground before also leaping into the air and roundhouse kicking his head. The demon blocked it with a muscled forearm.

"You'll have to do better than that!"

Jr. or rather, his Nergal, took it as a challenge and his leg transformed into an ax and sliced Satan's chest open. Blood spurted and Satan howled. Jr. wasn't done as his hand turned into a hammer and knocked into Satan's side, staggering him and bringing him to his knee.

Jr. flew above a punch Satan threw and brought his knee straight into his face, blood spilling from his nose. Satan's body was thrown towards the stairs and Jr. began walking to him.

"You aren't going to beat me, give up!"

June was holding her own, despite the healing factors of the fallen. Every spear jabbed and thrown at her, she simply used to her advantage. But this was tiring.

"Ah-Mah, please tell me you're getting close?"

"_Not even, June. But I do have a spell you can use. Well, more like a prayer."_

"It works? Down here?"

"_If anything, you can give it a try."_

June heard it echo in her head and stared at her attackers. They flew back, hesitant at the determination in her eyes.

"Who's first?"

One of the angels screeched at her and flew right towards her. She jumped up and landed on his back, breaking his flight. They tumbled to the ground with June on top, hold his chest and the spear in his hand.

"Raphael, Angel of Healing, please guide this fallen warrior to your light!"

Light broke through the black clouds of Hell and shone upon her. The fallen angel began to struggle heatedly and everyone looked right at them.

Satan looked up from his perch at the stairs and Jr. turned around. The other fallen flew away from the light, as if scared by the sight.

"Let this blackened flesh recover from the muck it has been washed in!

And let my hands be worthy of your power so that I may continue to heal all others also afflicted! Amen!"

The fallen angel let out an inhumane scream, his skin peeling into the light and his entire being engulfed in blue flames. A bright light wave echoed in the middle of the beam and the light dissipated.

June stood up from the blackened spot that was once a broken angel. She turned and faced the others and smiled, her hands now engulfed in a blue glow. The other angels howled at her, but backed away every moment she moved forward.

Jr. grinned and turned back to Satan.

"You won't win. This is it. Give up."

Satan looked down at the heir to the Underworld throne and snarled. The sound that spilled forth from his mouth was deafening and Jr. was shaken to the core at it.

The fallen angels all looked at each other and seemed to come to some sort of agreement. Then, each one of them began to huddle together. June began to fear what was coming as the power fell off them the closer they got to each other.

Jr. backed away from Satan as he continued his unholy growl. His muscles bulged and contorted as he fell to the ground, gripping his horns. His claws lengthened his hand impossibly large now. His legs became haunches and sharp nails pushed his hooves out of the way, an actual foot emerging. His face lengthened, his horns curled around again, and his teeth grew more serrated than before. Thick hair began to sprout from the entirety of his uncovered chest and arms, not fully covering it, but not unseen. He stood and plainly rippled, Jr. wanting to shake from the power rolling off him in waves.

The angels started glowing with a black light, something June had never seen before. It was purple tinted and miasmic, threatening to suck the life out of her as it swirled in place faster and faster. They were literally merging together, as if a black hole were swallowing them and sending something else out, something worse. As the thick cloud stopped, a pair of legs emerged from within. Completely black wings flapped in the air and blew the air away. She could fully see him now. Majestic armor covered the entire bottom half of the angel. It was actually clean and golden, the steel shining in the flames around them. His skin was purple-grey and his hair just as jet black. He held a jousting lance in his hand and that was it. What made him different than his separated parts was how fit he looked, his strength clenching in muscles.

It was his black eyes that made June fear him wholeheartedly, the entire eyeball black, like that of a crow. He looked at her and opened his mouth. June didn't hear anything, but a thick smoke erupted from him and he blew out. And then he smiled.

Satan stretched up and gestured to June, his words for Jr.

"I won't win? Boy, my name is written in every book and unholy book that humans have created from our words and _his_. I have had years to perfect my powers, while you waddle with yours. With all your power, you don't even know how to use it!"

"_**Jr., listen."**_

Jr. actually couldn't hear his Nergal. All he could hear was the power pounding in his head, knocking against his soul and forcing him to watch the every move of the beast.

"I have been in my own Hell for centuries, watching the filthy souls that humans give up in their anger. I have grown more powerful every day, waiting for the moment when I can give that smug bastard upstairs the ass beating he deserves!"

"… _**use every ounce of power..."**_

Jr. simply gulped and stared at Satan, his body shaking in absolute fear of the being in front of him. What was he, but a boy?! What this thing was, he certainly didn't have the power equipped to actually beat him! Why was he down here?!

"_**Jr., I know you're afraid, but please!"**_

The presence was trying to enter way more than he had ever felt and he began to push back.

"_**Jr!"**_

Jr. began to mentally block out the Nergal until only half the power he had remained. His will was beginning to diminish and with it, the easier ability to transform. But it didn't matter to him; he honestly just wanted to run.

"Boy, who are you, but the son of a referee?! You are nothing and I will make certain that you don't interfere with our plans!"

"_**JR!"**_

Satan literally teleported right in front of him, his head down. He head-butted Jr. straight in the chest. Jr. landed some ways away and coughed in pain. He got up to his hands and knees and looked at Satan, his eyes wide with terror and despair.

"What are you?"

Satan picked Jr. up by the cranium and smiled only what his bear grin would allow.

"I am Satan, Little Horn, Molder of Anger, Prince of Wrath!"

And with that, he threw Jr. against the rock.

June leaped over the lance, dodging as the entity that was attacking her grew faster and faster with each move. She knew she had to get on the offensive or he would run her through.

She duck rolled underneath the jabbing spear and brought a fist up, punching the chimeric angel in the face. Or at least, she thought she did.

Instead, he bent just the smallest amount away, the skin of her knuckles barely catching him. He leaned back in and grabbed her head and began to throttle her.

"AAAAAAAUGH!"

She screamed in horror at the darkness that was covering her face. It felt like acid and she scratched at his wrist to get him to let go of her, the incantation still working in her palms. She dropped in front of him and opened her eyes.

She could only see slightly as the darkness did actually burn her. It was due to her constant use of magic that healed her, the burning fading.

However, that meant nothing to the now irate angel. He held his leg back and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying into the air. She gasped and grasped her abs. It was only a slight reprieve as the angel was right above her, his speed unseen. He brought clenched hands on her back, her body now careening to the ground. She hit it and couldn't breathe for a couple of seconds, pain wracking her entire body.

She got to her hands and knees and looked above as the angel hovered in front of her.

"Well, I'm guessing your aren't exactly happy about me sending your friend to the afterlife, huh?"

The angel snarled at her and right in her vision came the lance.

Jr. was running for his life, Satan right behind him. As he came to the other side of the crevice, Satan's arm crashed into his immediate left. As he turned, another hand punched the other side. He was trapped as Satan sneered at him.

"What now, boy?"

Jr. anchored his claws onto the rock and thought of a bowling ball on his foot. He threw it into Satan's stomach and ducked under him as the Red Beast clutched his hurt side.

He turned to roar after Jr., his clawed feet kicking up frozen shards of soul flesh. Jr. looked back to see Satan in the air, right on top of him. Jr. fell to his back as Satan peered over him, blood and saliva dripping from his closed maw. He growled low in his throat before opening it, his head turning to encase Jr. in a mouth of stench and teeth.

Instead biting down and crushing the young Prince's head, Satan was thrown as the fallen angel was thrown against him. Jr. looked up to June. She was breathing heavily, holding the lance in her hand.

"Look like you needed a hand!"

Jr. couldn't even answer, his life still flashing before his eyes. He stood shakily.

June speared the lance at the downed angel. She gaped her mouth as the black thing separated into individual angels, the lance embedding into the ice, before reforming and pulling the lance from the frozen ground. He charged her and she was short of being quick, the lance catching her side and forcing her blood. She jumped away and quickly grabbed her side before bringing it up to her face shakily.

"Damn, that hurt dude!"

Satan stood and sniffed the air before grinning at June.

"Thank you for playing! Guess you're going to have to sit the rest of this one out."

June stared in confusion before she looked down as the ground began to move. Her blood was dripping onto the frozen souls and apparently unfreezing them, hands coming up to grab her.

"Oh, crap!"

"June!"

She tried to jump, but the hands held on with vigor. She began to panic as the hands started to get higher and she started to lower into the mud.

"No, no, Jr., help me!"

Jr. ran across the field, the ground still frozen from where he was, but the fallen angel back handed him the moment he got close. Jr. landed far from June and held his hand out to her as he watched her get swallowed by the souls of the river.

"NO, JUNE!"

"PLEASE, STOOOOP! NOOOOOO!"

June was swallowed underneath fully and all Jr. could do was watch.

_TLTS_

"I guess your little companion just became a casualty. Don't worry; she's alright-for now, that is. The ground will soon refreeze and she along with it. Once I finish with you, I'll get her back."

Jr. sat on his knees, the fear he was feeling mounting even harder. His mental block still held the Nergal from his mind, his fear now his only running fuel.

"Look at this, the Prince of the Underworld, now simply target practice!"

Jr. was backhanded harshly, his body skidding across the ice until the angel stopped his body with a hard kick. Jr. barely could dodge the lance shoved into the ice in place of him, the pain blinding.

Jr. rolled and cocked a fist back to punch the angel. The darkened being spun around, the side of his lance catching Jr. in the back.

Jr. was thrown away and Satan came from behind him, punching the ground as Jr. backed away. Satan got onto all fours and scuffed the ground, readying himself to charge.

He kicked in the ground and began to chase after Jr's rolling body. Jr. rolled into a handstand before coming to his feet and standing. He imagined the largest weapon he could think of; a wrecking ball. With Nergalian strength, he spun around as Satan came towards him.

"Eat this, bitch!"

Just as the ball was coming close, the chain got caught up in the angel's lance, instead of hitting Satan, and wrapping around the spear. The angel pulled, taking Jr. into the air and spinning him around. Jr. let his hand change back and let go. He landed with his back on the ground before back flipping away from the angel landing into a crater, fleshy rocks spitting from the ground.

He jumped up and leaped away across the frozen platform, only to run into Satan's horns, ripping through his clothes and some Nergal flesh. Jr. could only gasp.

"_**Son of a bitch!"**_

"_Tell me what to do!"_

Satan lifted him with his horns, green blood leaking from the wound.

"So, I'm guessing this is the end of the Prince of the Underworld?"

Satan threw his head back, Jr. flying off the spike and slamming into the rocks. He could feel his blood leaking onto the river and the hands began moving. Jr. wanted to move, but was in too much pain.

"_**Dude, you have to get up!"**_

"_But…it hurts…too much."_

"_**I know, but if you die, so do I and we kind of got a job to do!"**_

Jr. could feel the hands on his person, pulling him down into the goop. Hands were scratching his clothes and face, trying to tear him apart as he descended as the souls themselves snarled.

"_**If you aren't going to move, then give me control!"**_

"_I…can't. You know…that."_

Jr. could feel his body being pulled in farther and he could feel his body getting lethargic as the hands began to simply float and the souls began to groan instead. They were pulling softer, but with no less relent.

"_**YOU. NEED. TO. TRUST ME!"**_

"_How…?"_

He was beginning to become numb and the mud was completely covering his vision. The smell was worse and his body was becoming cement.

"_**By giving me a chance!"**_

Jr. could feel the presence pushing against his mind harder than ever and it was all encompassing. He could feel his power begin to pulse. His thoughts were running too slow to process it all.

Scythe.

He could feel his control in just about all of his body begin to leave him.

Nergal.

The presence was now overpowering.

Mimi.

He could feel the eye in his cranium begin to heat up.

Minnie.

His consciousness fell asleep.

_TLTS_

"Well, that's the end of that!"

Satan stood up and walked over to the area where June had been swallowed. The angel hovered behind him.

"Time to claim my prize."

Satan scratched the ground and the hands began to move around like water, spreading away from each other. June's body emerged from within, unconscious, but alive.

"I truly can't wait to claim her for my own."

He grabbed her by her hair and held her out from his body, grinning salaciously. He licked his teeth, blood and saliva dripping from his chin. He could feel his member grow hard as he caressed her.

"I will enjoy corrupting you. You may go now that you've done your duty in protecting the Walls of Dis."

Satan gestured to the angel, but did not turn his eyes from June's prone body. The angel breathed as if to answer and turned away from the Red Beast. Just as he did, he stopped and promptly dropped his lance.

"What, demon on your back? I said get lost!"

The angel began to shake, the evil from the being now full of fear of what it could sense. Satan finally turned around after not hearing him fly away, annoyed that he could not have his prize alone.

"WHY aren't you gone?!"

Satan didn't even need a response; he could feel it from beneath the ice.

A dark, green glow pulsed from beneath the cracks of the ice. The souls were beginning to separate from that particular spot, their snarls and groans interrupted by their screaming in horror.

"…it can't be."

The ice melted and parted as large black wings emerged from underneath. With them, a being that looked like the Prince of the Underworld, but…he was older, bigger, power dripping off his body. Satan growled angrily and clenched his claws.

"Damnit! Shit, shit, why? Why couldn't you have just drowned in fear?!"

The angel was shaken to its core, fingers unable to stay still. As Jr. fully floated up from the abyss, the angel had finally been spooked enough to run. It grabbed its lance and began to flap erratically, trying to escape. Satan looked to where it was flying, now way in the distance.

"Fucking coward!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Satan, you should be more considerate. I mean, you're just as afraid as he is."

Satan turned and stared at the form of Jr. or rather, the form his Nergal had taken.

Jr's body was now that of an adult, his body muscular and tall. His hoodie had transformed into a buttoned suit jacket with a riding coattail, the ends of it frayed and the collar exchanged for his hood. His pants hung off his large frame, allowing for more movement. He had holsters belted on and on his feet, he wore black boots. He looked like what Jr. would look like older, having trained himself. Except for his skin, which was now completely Nergal, black and coarse until it reached his face, which was smooth as knight's armor. His eyes were green and the skin completely covered where his mouth should be. Satan could only stare at the transformation from the boy he had impaled literally seconds ago.

The being held his hands behind his back, in a gentleman manner, as he addressed the Red Beast.

"Do like it? This is the boy's form for when he grows into his powers and enters adulthood. I think it appropriate; he looks like the powerful King he will be; a sovereign his citizens won't dare cross. What do you think?"

Satan began to eye how far away from each other they were and if he could escape.

"It took me forever for him to trust me."

"Oh, so you can steal his body and rage over the supernatural world?"

"Hmph, you have some nerve, with this plot of yours to overthrow God and all."

Satan gnashed his teeth together and woofed at Jr., mimicking the beast he transformed to. Jr. simply huffed.

"I'm sorry, forgot how much you detest the big guy. As for raging over the known supernatural dimension…you did this to me."

The being grew dark and his powers began to shoot out. Satan could feel his skin tingle at it.

"The great Nergal master was drug from his placement at the top of Mount Purgatory when you bastards fell to Hell. You all are the reason his body is now blackened from the harsh descent and he is angry for it! Every Nergal demon, without a master, thrives off his inner anger for his predicament that YOU demons caused!"

The power burst forth and Satan's skin was slightly burned by it. Satan flinched at it, but didn't take his eyes off their distance.

"So yes, my first action in freedom was to destroy any demonic entity that I was near. Halloween town just so happened to be the target of my anger since it was conveniently there."

"So you're just an uncontrollable monster? Far from what you were when you were pulled from your post."

"I was godlike! My powers led angels and I had the very strength that also fuels the archangels! Now, because of your tainting, I am a dark entity. I simply call myself a demon to simplify what even we Nergals can't exactly give name to."

"I guess the boy really shouldn't have trusted you."

"The boy should place his trust in me more. My direction is not to overtake him, but to grow his power into what it should be; a being of superior strength, matching even the Horsemen."

Satan blanched.

"There is none as powerful as the Horsemen! None!"

"The Nergal master used to be sovereign over War and Strife; don't you think the very products the Horsemen are had to come from somewhere?"

"…Nergal created-

"Yes, the Great Master created at least War and Strife. The mother was so distraught having watched one of the warriors she gave strength to fall due to a tainted angel's sentence. He sat in the darkness of his created dimension and she came to him as a light."

"That whore!"

The power flared and more of Satan's skin burned. He began to really feel the pain.

"Don't you ever say that!"

"You must mistake me for my brother for I do not lie. I have no reason to. She was a whore and still is!"

Nergalian Jr. brought his head down. Satan took the chance to run. Wings sprouted from his back, blood splattering, and he soared into the air.

If he made it to the bridge of Dis, the angels would have to protect him for he was in their territory of protecting the walls.

He wouldn't make it.

In mid-flap, his wings were torn from his back. He could feel as the hollow bones were pulled from the socket and the flesh stated ripping apart. He was tossed to the side and the hands clutching his wings pulled hard, the wings rent from his back.

His body slammed into the ground and he groaned in pain. When he looked up, Jr was standing in front of him. It was the same scene, except reverse.

Nergalian Jr. picked Satan up by his horn with one hand and held him out, his large body dangling as Jr. hovered in the air, simply his power keeping him aloft.

"Did you think you would escape without punishment? Did you think I would not seethe over what you have done to the boy? I will make sure that you are a mess on this ground when I get done with you."

With that, Nergalian Jr. ripped a horn off of Satan's head. Satan howled in pain as blood spurted from the wound. Jr. backhanded him, sending him careening across the field.

He lowered to the ground and the ground began to tremble. The storm that covered Hell now was surrounding their battle ground. Lightning struck the area and Satan felt rain begin to fall.

"If you hadn't noticed, you no longer have power here."

The lightning struck the battle ground and the souls were pulled from the frozen river, the lightning creating a shard ridden structure. More lightning struck the area and more structures were made. Nergalian Jr. looked at Satan and smiled.

"I am going to shred your body into a bloody mess and burn it so that Lucifer will never be able to remake you!"

He sped across the field and Satan knew he stood no chance.

_TLTS_

Minnie knew something was wrong. Her mate, there was a problem and she couldn't figure it out. It was as if his power grew exponentially within a matter of seconds. Her body tingled and her skin got goose bumps. But, she couldn't fully feel his soul. It was as if something were shielding him.

"Brother mine, I will come for thee. I pray that thou will still be when I get there."

_TLTS_

Mimi was swinging her whip again, trying to get her strength to break the cement like the woman had.

She would beat her. She would make her grovel underneath Mimi for mercy. She would not be insulted like that again and neither would her mother!

Suddenly, Mimi could feel her body…shiver with something she couldn't place. She got the image of the boy who brought her here and felt…oddly worried. It wasn't as if he couldn't protect himself; she had seen what he had done to her "father" and besides, she was more interested in the girl anyway. However, something was wrong with him and she knew the girl would be worried as well. Hell, she could feel it. Soon, the feeling went away and she was calm again.

Speaking of girls, there was someone she needed to visit soon. Her place here was fine and dandy, but there was someone else that was probably going to wonder where she was.

"_Silly…girly."_

_TLTS_

Jr. appeared in front of Satan and dug a fist right into his stomach, bending the demon over. His knee came up and rammed straight into Satan's chin before Jr. kicked him.

Satan was tossed away, rolling on the ground and into a spike. His side was bleeding out and he staggered to get up.

Jr. was walking towards him and he broke the structure before aiming it at the Nergalian. Jr. looked at the oncoming projectile and formed a gun with his hand. He fired and the object blew to pieces once the bullet made contact.

Satan was on him after the smoke cleared, right in front of him and grabbing the arm with the gun so Jr. didn't shoot his face. He brought a ham-hand down on Jr's head. Instead of making contact, Jr. caught the arm and with his other hand. Hooks anchored onto Satan's hand that was holding his and the Red Beast snarled.

Jr. leapt up and kicked with both his feet, pushing Satan back. With his hand hooked onto Satan's, he tore the appendage off of his red body, bone and flesh coming apart.

Satan howled in pain, but didn't have time as Jr. changed his hand into a sledgehammer and knocked Satan into the air.

Satan went up and down, landing on his back roughly. He groaned and rolled to his side. He opened his eyes and saw his executioner walking towards him.

"Fuck."

June awoke from where Satan had dropped her. Opening her eyes, she saw what looked like a taller Jr. walking to a Satan with only one horn and one hand.

"Uh, what did I miss?"

Jr. stopped in front of Satan and pushed him with his leg.

"I hope you don't think we're done yet."

Satan jumped up from his crouch and opened his maw before snapping down on Jr's hand and growling. Jr's eyes grew to slits at this. With his other hand, he broke the other horn off, Satan's grip faltering, and dug the spike of the horn into Satan's chin and into his mouth.

"Get the fuck off of me!"

He pulled and, with his strength, tore Satan's lower jaw off. Jr. wasn't done as he grabbed Satan's upper jaw and slammed Satan into the ground. He grew a large anchor with his hand and stabbed a hole into Satan's stomach before throwing him into the side of the crevice.

June watched as Jr. brutalized Satan. She didn't know what it was, but this was not the boy she was fighting with earlier. It was something else entirely.

"A-Ah-Mah, can you please hurry up?"

"…_June, you're just going to have to make yourself real small so he doesn't notice you. Whatever is beating Satan now is not the Prince of the Underworld, but something stronger, fiercer, and I'm not sure he'll be able to discern friend from foe once he gets done over there."_

June really hated her life at that moment. She watched as Jr. began to box Satan's body. She could hear the bones being broken and the flesh being pounded away at. Blood oozed forth and she wanted to wretch.

Jr's hands were now bloody and dripping. Satan was standing on his last leg.

"I thought the boy told you; it was over before we really got started. I wanted you to transform so you knew that even at your most powerful, you would still crumble underneath the power of a tainted guardian and a boy not yet even grown."

Satan let his tongue smack against the roof of his mouth and swung his other claw. Jr. caught it easily and smirked.

"So full of anger and sorrow. I hope you understand this is the end, correct?"

He snapped Satan's arm like a twig and Satan groaned, the only sound he really could make. Jr. let go completely and Satan staggered.

"Thank you for allowing me to get my steam out. Now I think it's time to end this."

Jr. brought his claws to the jugular of Satan's neck and he dug in. Satan began to make the most inhumane scream he could make. Jr. was literally pulling him apart. His skin started separating and his bones splintered at being stretched so harshly. Satan struggled as much as his body would let him, but it would do him no good. All he could do was feel the pain.

Jr. ripped Satan right down the middle, blood spraying him all over. Satan had stopped screaming by now, his body shifting back into the humanoid form he had before.

Jr. looked at one of the two pieces he made and saw his prize. He dug a claw into the bloody meat and began pulling. Lightning struck all around him, the rain turning into a fury. He pulled harder and harder, the veins trying to keep the still beating muscle inside with no use.

"You will give me what I want!"

Jr. tore the heart out and held it up in the flashing light. He cackled with glee as blood ran down his arm.

Satan was dead.

_TLTS_

June saw the entire moment and could feel her lunch begin to rise in her stomach. She hunched over and tried to hold it in. When she looked up, he was standing right in front of her.

She jumped and quickly backed away in fear. She was shaking and couldn't even put her fists up for fear he would attack.

Nergalian Jr. simply crouched, the heart still in his hand. He brought it behind him and tried to smile, even with all the blood now coating him.

"I apologize you had to see that. It's been a long time coming for him and I couldn't help myself."

June tried to calm her shaking. She stood with a hand out in front.

"You're trying to get home, right?"

He stood and walked over and stared at nothing. Then, he stuck a hand into what seemed like air, but shredded it like fabric and a large portal was open. June stopped her shaking as she realized he was sending her home. She could see Ah-Mah staring back, just as confused as her.

"W-why?"

"I may be a demon, but I am influenced by my host. He wishes that you be sent home, so I am sending you home."

June began to walk towards it. She stopped.

"What about Jr.?"

"The boy will be alright. Once his mates bring his scythe, I will return him to his proper form."

"Mates?!"

"June, stop questioning him and come on!"

June started hurrying to the portal and stopped right before she got in.

"Thank you."

The adult Jr. bowed to her and she entered. It closed seconds later and Jr. stood straight.

"I do believe my work here is done. Now, about this."

He grinned as he brought the heart up. He could feel the power soaked in it.

"The boy should be thanking me; this will grow his power immensely."

The face split into fangs and a long, prehensile tongue emerged. It wrapped around the heart, still beating, and pulled it into his mouth. He swallowed, gulping loudly, before gasping. He could feel the energy run through his blood and inflame it. He could feel both the Prince's power and his own exceed immensely.

"This is incredible! Jr. will never have to worry about getting tired from energy use ag-ACHK!"

The Nergalian dropped to his knees. The energy wasn't just powerful, it was evil. The amount of wrath and hate that was beginning to coarse through his veins was abominable.

Jr. clutched his stomach with his hands and groaned in pain. His voice reverbed out and he shook his head like a dog.

He bent over and heaved. Black bile was expelling and it was like it would never end. Chunks flew from his mouth and he couldn't stop to even breathe.

Once done, he rolled to the side and curled into himself, shaking and coughing. His eyes were dim and he breathed heavily.

As he began to faint, he caught a glimpse of the bile he flushed out began to move. Black and sludge like, it began sliding away, as if it were alive.

The Nergalian feared it was. It was his last sight before he fainted.

* * *

…**You really wouldn't believe how long this took to write. I don't know if I even covered everything I had to in this chapter. We're getting to that part in the story where shit begins to get real and things are being completed. You'd be surprised what comes out of procrastination. I figured people would want more out of this chapter and I put a lot of what I could fit in without it seeming boring.**


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